Thousands of people fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades quickly spread to 1,260 acres Tuesday, a blaze which authorities said could grow further as even stronger winds are expected through the night.

Strong winds — with gusts as high as 79 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains — began blowing their way through Southern California on Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, leading to the possibility of downed trees and wires, power outages and dangerous fire weather.

Heavy winds and dry conditions are cause for concern as the fire continues to spread in the Pacific Palisades area