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.

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.