clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

15 sobering photos of the Skirball Fire

It has burned at least 475 acres in Bel Air

Southern California Wildfires Forces Thousands to Evacuate
The Skirball Fire at one point closed portions of the 405 Freeway. The freeway has since reopened.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

The blaze in Bel Air dubbed the Skirball Fire broke out early this morning, chewing through 475 acres and forcing mandatory evacuations for 46,000 residents. At last count, 15 structures were damaged or destroyed.

The fire is blazing east of the 405 Freeway, portions of which were closed earlier today as the inferno raced alongside it. It was closed from the 10 to the 101, creating a creepy visual during what would normally be rush hour on the famously packed freeway.

Classes at UCLA’s Westwood campus were first declared optional, then ultimately cancelled, but students who were on campus were seen sporting face masks because of the smoke from the Skirball Fire.

The fire is still burning and is only 5 percent contained. Winds were relatively calm today but are expected to ramp up tonight, which fire officials say will likely fuel existing fires.

Below, we’ve collected 15 photos of the fire as it grew.

#skirballfire on our street right now. via @latimes #belair @natalie_shirinian

A post shared by Elizabeth Margaret Baudouin (@elizabethbaudouin) on

Time lapse of the Skirball Fire with a water drop today at work!

A post shared by Benny Fillo (@bennyfillo) on

Eerie orange glow over bel air #fire #la web seen at least seven multimillion dollar homes destroyed

A post shared by Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanabc) on

Fire fly

A post shared by Milo Mitchell (@milosees) on