Scene in evacuation zone

About 8 p.m., fire officials called a mandatory evacuation of heavily populated Commonwealth Avenue, Dundee Drive and Dundee Place, which backs up against the hills. Shooting flames could be seen above the neighborhood, hit by power outages, as water-dropping helicopters swirled in and around banks of smoke.

"It just exploded," said Michael Widman, 46, who lives on Commonwealth Avenue and was packing up pictures and computers as he prepared to evacuate. "I don't see how they're going to knock it down. It's a shame."

Widman, who is originally from New York and moved into the neighborhood five years ago, said he had watched the fire for about an hour and thought it was under control when it flared up again.

"I'm done with LA," he said.

Karl Amlauer, 81, who has lived on nearby Dundee Drive for 46 years said this is the first time he has had to evacuate. He said the fire had been calm and then suddenly started raging.

"It happened so fast," Amlauer said. "I thought it was almost over and all of a sudden here it is."

Amlauer and his wife were loading up their BMW hatchback with pictures, antique clocks and clothes.

"You can't take everything," he said.

Said another resident who heeded the fire warnings and jumped into his Range Rover: "You gotta do what you gotta do."

-Paul Pringle