RAGING

Wildfire Near Getty Center in Los Angeles Burns Homes, Forces Thousands to Flee

Another California wildfire broke out overnight, prompting evacuation orders for about 10,000 residential and commercial structures.

Another wildfire broke out overnight in California. This blaze, dubbed the Getty Fire, is located in Southern California in the neighborhoods of Brentwood, Mountaingate, and West Los Angeles. A brush fire in the hillside region started around 2 a.m., looming above interstate 405, the nation’s busiest highway. Approximately 10,000 nearby residential and commercial structures are under mandatory evacuation as of Monday morning, forcing people to flee and find refuge in the middle of the night. LeBron James, a resident of the area, shared on Twitter around 4 a.m. PT that his family was told to “emergency evacuate” their home and were looking for a place to stay. The fire is close to the Getty Center, a billion-dollar complex that includes a museum that houses works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, and Degas. The Los Angeles Fire Department has created a barrier around the complex that has held back flames so far.

The fire has rapidly burned over 500 acres, and is continuing to move inland, according to LAFD. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters that over 1,100 fire fighters have been deployed since this morning. Eight homes have so far been lost and five others have been damaged, according to Garcetti. LAFD chief Ralph Terrazas said more homes are expected to be lost. At 9 a.m. PT a spokesman for LAFD said there had been no reports of serious injuries or fatalities. “This is a fire that quickly spread,” Garcetti said. “... We luckily had a lot of amazing heroes that were in our fire stations who rolled out immediately. We have... firefighters that are on the line right now, in some of the most challenging topography of Los Angeles.” Garcetti urged residents to obey evacuation orders: “Get out when we say get out.”