Palisades High School: LA wildfire causes ‘significant damage’ at school made famous by Hollywood

The new school term had yet to begin on Tuesday, although a small number of students and staff were on site, according to the LA Times. They were rapidly evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.

The newspaper said the school’s sporting facilities had been damaged, but that the extent to which buildings had been impacted was unclear. Firefighters were on the scene, the newspaper added.

Although he acknowledged the reports of damage during a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mr Carvalho, the LA Unified School District superintendent, did not give further details.

A reporter for the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, confirmed that flames could be seen coming from the premises – but said it was not clear what was burning. An evacuee speaking at the scene described the fires as “armageddon”.

The separate Palisades Charter Elementary School nearby has also reportedly been caught up in the blaze. The two are among several schools in the area that have closed as a result of mandatory evacuation orders, Mr Carvalho said.