Exhausted Los Angeles firefighters were dispatched to battle two new fires that broke out Wednesday evening – a fast-growing brush fire that led to chaotic evacuations near the Hollywood Hills and a structure fire in Studio City.

The Sunset Fire was reported just after 5:30 p.m. at 2350 N. Solar Drive in the Hollywood Hills and spread to 60 acres by 9:25 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire caused massive traffic jams as residents rushed to evacuate the densely populated area below Runyon Canyon.

Then, just before 9 p.m., the LAFD responded to a call for a structure fire at a four-story home at 3656 N. Sunswept Drive in Studio City.

Aerial footage captured by KTLA-TV showed firefighters spraying water on burning buildings located on winding hillside roads with lots of vegetation in Studio City. According to the LAFD, more than 50 firefighters had extinguished the fire by 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, firefighters managed to bring the Sunset fire under control, thanks in part to the nearby Hollywood Reservoir, which allowed helicopters to quickly replenish water for air drops.

According to a statement from the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the eastern edge of the fire remained “well under control” around 8:30 p.m. thanks to a fire road and the work of ground crews. And active flames were extinguished at the end of the fire while the interior continued to smolder.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, helicopters are concentrating their operations on the southwest side of the fire, where fire activity is most intense.

Traffic was back to back as people tried to flee the area, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that police would be deployed to help manage the traffic. “We are working urgently to close roads, reroute traffic and expand access for LAFD vehicles to respond to the growing fire,” she said in a post on X.

Smoke filled the air and water dripped down the hilly streets as crowds gathered at police lines to catch a glimpse of the retreating fire.

Up the hill, fire trucks idle between evacuated streets, the embers of a fire glowing above them.

A police officer described the evacuation process as chaotic, but that chaos had subsided by 9 p.m. when ash fell on the streets.

About that time, David Potts, 66, was standing on his porch just a few hundred yards from the active fire. Unlike most of his neighbors, he decided to stay put.

“A friend lost his house in Altadena this morning and I thought I would stay until the last minute,” he said.

Just up the hill, the crackle of flames interrupted the quiet hum of engines and running water. About every seven minutes, another helicopter would come by and drop water that would pour over the neighborhood. He stopped to see if the water had put out a burning tree that he could see from where he was standing.

His home of eleven years is adjacent to Runyon Canyon. At around 4:30 p.m., he saw a fire nearby on the news and stepped outside, where he was met with the strong smell of smoke.

When the mandatory evacuation notice arrived shortly afterwards, his wife, daughter and son-in-law quickly packed their things and set off.

It took them two hours to drive to Glendale despite the chaos, but Potts stayed and got his hose out.

He packed his truck with essentials and began spraying his home and yard.

For a while no help came. “Just as I was about to throw in the towel, two helicopters arrived,” he said. They dropped water and he saw a cloud of white steam throwing embers into the air. He continued to spray: “I could see progress from the helicopters.”

At the top of the hill, some firefighters stood guard while others with chainsaws and garden tools marched hundreds of feet higher up, cutting through a fire line near the summit of Runyon Canyon. Their flashlights swung from left to right as about a dozen men walked single file across the hill.

“It’s a miracle no houses burned down here,” said a firefighter. Hours earlier, flames had approached homes along North Curson Avenue. By 10:30 p.m. they were barely visible on the distant hillside.

“These are really nice houses up here,” one firefighter said to another as they watched a helicopter fly by to drop water. Both firefighters and residents credited efficient water drainage for containing the fire.

The nearby reservoir made frequent trips possible, a firefighter said. At 10:30 a.m. the water drops were passing about every 10 minutes.

An evacuation zone has been established for the area between the 101 Freeway to the east and Laurel Canyon to the west, and between Mulholland Drive to the north and Hollywood Boulevard to the south.

An evacuation warning has been issued for a larger portion of Hollywood Boulevard south to Sunset Boulevard and west to Coldwater Canyon Drive. A shelter was set up at the Pan Pacific Recreation Center, 7600 Beverly Blvd., for those fleeing the flames. in Los Angeles.

More than 2,000 buildings have now burned and at least five people have died in wildfires across LA County, making this one of the region’s most devastating firestorms in recent memory.

Fire officials admitted they were overwhelmed by the size and speed of the fires.

The winds that sparked Tuesday’s fires have eased somewhat, but officials said the danger is still high.