Tens of thousands of Southern Californians were ordered to flee their homes Tuesday after a brush fire exploded in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.

Fast-moving blaze burns over 1,200 acres in Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, threatening thousands of homes and structures as powerful gusts fuel the flames.

A windstorm is threatening to spread a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in southern California and could trigger more fires as evacuations are underway.

Resident Nicolas Libonati said he saw a lot of abandoned cars on the road, and people running toward the coast. "It was kind of a surreal scene," he said.