Wildfires latest: Thousands flee Los Angeles as blazes burn in and around the city

Wildfires are tearing across the Los Angeles area with devastating force after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. Flames broke out on Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA while another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. A third wildfire started around 10:30 p.m. and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires were under investigation on Wednesday.