A brush fire that has consumed more than 500 acres of Los Angeles hillside is threatening to spread to the city’s famous Getty Center museum, NBC News reports.
At least 10,000 nearby commercial buildings and homes — including LeBron James’s house in Brentwood — are under mandatory evacuation orders as more than 470 Los Angeles firefighters work to battle the blaze. The fire also forced the closure of Interstate 405. The fire reportedly broke out around 1:30 a.m.
While the fire is near the Getty Center, museum officials tweeted that they’re confident their collection will remain unscathed. “Getty Center and Getty Villa remain SAFE from the #GettyFire, which is burning to the north and west of the Center,” they wrote. “Both Getty sites will be closed today (Oct. 28). We have activated our full emergency response.”
Getty Center and Getty Villa remain SAFE from the #GettyFire, which is burning to the north and west of the Center. Both Getty sites will be closed today (October 28, 2019). We have activated our full emergency response.
Our thoughts are with neighbors and first responders.
— J. Paul Getty Museum (@GettyMuseum) October 28, 2019
Mayor Eric Garcetti urged residents to comply with evacuation orders, saying some homes have already been lost. “Get out when we say get out,” he said. Firefighters are reportedly dealing with 20 mph winds as they work to contain the flames.
Footage from motorists traveling down 405 Freeway shows fire that erupted on hillside near Getty Center museum in Southern California. https://t.co/6ivdt5T21Z pic.twitter.com/ZCUhsWcG3I
— ABC News (@ABC) October 28, 2019
People in Los Angeles are being asked to avoid neighborhoods in and around the Brentwood and Westwood areas. Of California’s 58 counties, 43 were under red-flag warnings for high fire danger on Sunday (Oct. 27).
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