As The Palisades Fire Burns, Looters, Security Guards And Determined Residents Stay Behind

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Over 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area where the Palisades Fire had already scorched nearly 20 square miles Wednesday morning.

But even as the fire continued to burn uncontrollably, some residents declined to leave their homes.

Among them was a Pacific Palisades resident named Tim. In his hilly neighborhood just north of Channel Road, he was busy spraying down the shrubbery that lined his yard Wednesday morning.

As sirens blared in the background and a plume of smoke rose from the nearby Santa Monica Mountains, he offered a quick answer when asked why he didn't heed evacuation calls.

"The best way to defend it is to keep everything wet," said Tim, who declined to provide his last name.

Read the latest on the Palisades Fire

But Tim wasn't just taking care of his own home. When he saw fire approaching the area Tuesday night, he went to go wet down his evacuated neighbor's yard. But neither of the garden hoses would turn on, he said.

Indeed, that was a problem faced by firefighters too. Three million-gallon water tanks used by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power ran out of water due to the increase in water consumption so at one point around 3 a.m., all the hydrants in the area went dry, officials said Wednesday.

Across the Palisades Wednesday, those who hadn't already evacuated continued on trying to coexist with the wildfire, which had destroyed at least 1,000 buildings as of the morning.

Mask-wearing neighbors gathered at intersections to take photos of the smoke and share experiences. Others walked down the street with suitcases, headed downhill to the safer environs of Santa Monica or Will Rogers State Beach, where many evacuated Palisades residents spent the night.

Fires remained burning amid the charred remains of grand mansions overlooking Sunset Boulevard. Next to the smoldering ashes of one home, a group of firefighters attempted to save another house from a similar fate.

Private security guards were out in force across the neighborhood, checking on the stately homes of the rich and famous and protecting them from looters.

Two people were arrested early Wednesday morning after being caught looting homes within the evacuation zone, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday morning.

"If you are thinking about coming into any of these areas to steal from our residents, I'm going to tell you something: You're going to be caught, you're going to be arrested and you're going to be prosecuted," he said at a news conference.

As of 2:30 p.m., the city of Santa Monica has expanded a mandatory evacuation order to include all areas north of Montana Avenue from the beach to 11th Street due to the Palisades Fire. The order adds to the previously announced mandatory evacuations for areas north of San Vicente Boulevard from Ocean Boulevard to 26th Street.

An evacuation warning is in place for all other areas north of Montana Avenue, and for all areas north of Wilshire Boulevard and west of 10th Street.