Homes were burning and roads jammed before evacuation order for Palisades Fire, AP finds

First evacuation order covering neighborhoods closest to the start of the devastating Pacific Palisades wildfire didn’t come until about 40 minutes after some of those homes were already burning.

The wildfire, which would become one of the most destructive in California history, was spreading rapidly in ornamental plantings and burning homes by 11:27 a.m. on Jan. 7 , recordings of scanner traffic reveal.

So many people fled on their own, as wind-whipped flames raced over the nearby hills, that by the time officials issued the order to evacuate at 12:07 p.m. , traffic was gridlocked.

Pacific Palisades resident Robert Trinkkeller said he spotted the fire from his home at 10:27 a.m. on Jan. 7 .

He and his wife quickly gathered some personal items, including their children’s artwork, and their dog and hamster.

“I have concerns it took as long as it did to issue an evacuation order,” one resident says.

Maryam Zar , chair emeritus of the Pacific Palisades Community Council , said residents have long known they live in a place with two tremendous risks.

Because of the dramatic landscape, she's not sure there’s much the the city could do to make it easier to evacuate, she said.

“The fact they evacuated the entire community is pretty impressive,” Zar said.