L.A. Councilwoman Says There Hasn’t Been Any Reported Fatalities as Wildfires Rage in Palisades: ‘An Absolute Miracle’

"It’s going to be an absolutely devastating day for all of Los Angeles," L.A. City Council member Traci Park said on 'Today' on Wednesday, Jan. 8

A Los Angeles councilwoman is sharing an update as the fast-growing wildfires continue to rage through the Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas.

On Wednesday, Jan. 8, L.A. City Council member Traci Park, 49, appeared on the Today show to talk about the mass evacuations amid the ongoing blaze, saying it's "an absolute miracle that we do not have any reported fatalities at this point."

As of Tuesday afternoon, 30,000 residents had been evacuated from the Palisades and surrounding areas, with the fire also affecting cities including Santa Monica and Malibu.

"I really want to commend neighbors in the area for their swift response and compliance with local orders. As you’ve reported, this was a fire that grew and moved very, very quickly with the wind conditions as well as all of the dry conditions," Park told co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. 

Related: Steve Guttenberg Goes Unrecognized as He Comes to the Rescue of People Evacuating Pacific Palisades Fire

"It’s been at least eight months since we’ve had rain in this area. It is an absolute miracle that we do not have any reported fatalities at this point. But as the sun comes up here in Los Angeles today and we get our first glimpses at the scale of the damage and the loss, it’s going to be an absolutely devastating day for all of Los Angeles," the politician added.

Per a National Weather Service X post, winds amid the "extremely dangerous situation unfolding in southern California" are expected to reach speeds of 50-80 mph on Wednesday night, with increased speeds of 80-100 mph expected in mountains and foothills.

As Kotb mentioned on Today that it was too windy to even get helicopters in the air to dump water, Park said of evacuating people in such conditions, "These evacuations have been underway since yesterday although the evacuation zones have expanded. Crews have been on the ground going door to door to make sure that people are heeding these orders, but as you’re aware, this fire has continued to grow and move extremely quickly." 

"We have been pushing out messages and my communications to folks have been from the get go: this is not a drill, this is an actual public safety emergency," Park said. "Everybody needs to be packed and prepared to move on an instant’s notice and everybody needs to follow all of the directions and orders that they’re being given." 

Related: Dick Van Dyke Details 'Exhausting' Escape from Malibu Wildfires: ‘I Was Trying to Crawl to the Car’

Adding that the "fire department is overwhelmed at this point," the councilwoman insisted, "This is a life-saving operation, as our firefighters continue to try to protect people. We are expecting at this point there are likely hundreds of lost structures. But until the sun comes up and we can get assets back in the air safely, we won’t really know how much of the Palisades is still standing today."

Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has been among officials providing updates on the wildfires, sharing on X that "1400+ firefighting personnel & hundreds of prepositioned assets to combat these unprecedented fires in L.A." had been deployed.

"Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives," he added in the post.

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Celebrities including Spencer Pratt have been among those sharing devastating footage on social media of the blaze, with the former The Hills star revealing his home had been destroyed.

"Nightmare came true," the reality star captioned a TikTok video showing flames burning through the Calif. property he shares with his wife Heidi Montag Pratt and their two sons Gunner, 7, and Ryker, 2.