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Much of the heart of Hollywood is shrouded in black smoke. You cannot see the tops of the palm trees that line the streets here.
It’s a big mess in the streets near the fire. People are using sweatshirts to cover their faces so they can breathe. Many are carrying bags and suitcases in search of a destination.
Some are wearing pyjamas, clearly surprised.
The Sunset Fire broke out around 18:00 (14:00 GMT) local time on Wednesday, blanketing much of Hollywood in black smoke and forcing evacuations. By midnight local time, the fire had spread to 60 acres.
While driving in Hollywood, I saw many people fleeing their homes with whatever belongings they could carry.
As I was leaving, some of them responded with fear and concern.
“You came to help people? Where do I go?” Anna Waldman asked as I got out of my car.
“Where is safe?”
Above us, sirens were blaring and helicopters were scrambling.
As I helped him to safety, he told me that he was walking his dogs and planned to pass by the grocery store when he smelled a lot of smoke.
He returned home, looked out his window, and watched the fire move quickly through the Hollywood Hills toward his home.
He packed what he could: food, clothes, blankets, food for his three dogs.
“I can’t believe this,” he said tiredly.
Makayla Jackson, 26, held her two-year-old son Ramari on a street corner as she waited for a ride. They had been moved into a homeless shelter that was in danger of burning down.
He told me: “They just tell us to go.”
He said he was going to Hollywood High School, where some help was given.
Many streets near the fire, such as Hollywood Boulevard, which contains the Hollywood Walk of Fame, are heavily trafficked.
Some are driving on the wrong side of the road to escape.
The inferno could be seen from nearby streets, lighting up the darkness with bright red colors.
On the outskirts of a famous city, it’s like nothing is happening. People are having dinner, shopping and walking in their evening.
