Winds fan fast-growing Getty fire in Sepulveda Pass; motorists asked to avoid 405, evacuations ordered
Los Angeles firefighters battled a blaze early Monday that started next to the 405 Freeway and Getty Center Drive and had swelled to 500 acres by 7 a.m., prompting evacuation orders affecting thousands of homes and the closure of at least 18 schools.
More than 10,000 structures, both residential and commercial, were under evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said during a morning news briefing that he saw at least five destroyed homes.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Eric Scott said in an update that no injuries had been reported.
Getty Museum officials wrote on Twitter Monday morning that the fire was burning north and west of the Getty Center. The museum is safe, they said, but it will be closed Monday along with the Getty Villa because of the blaze.
“Our thoughts are with neighbors and first responders,” the museum wrote.
As the roughly 500 firefighters battled the flames, the firefight was expected to remain difficult. The National Weather Service warned that gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour are expected in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties Monday morning along with humidity levels as low as 5 percent.
Much of Southern California will be under a red flag warning until about 6 p.m. Monday, signifying high wildfire risk.
Though a cause for the blaze had not been announced, Garcetti said it was not the result of a homeless encampment.
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A witness had notified the California Highway Patrol at 1:32 a.m. that a fire had broken out on the hillside close to the freeway, with a possible power line on fire, the CHP reported.
Update #BrushFire; INC#0074; 5:10AM; Sb 405 Fy; https://t.co/JNEbaPHrIh; ##GettyFire; The MANDATORY evacuation zone has been moved further to the west. The West border is now Temescal Canyon Road. No change to the south (Sunset) … https://t.co/Zewo2t6mwl
— LAFD (@LAFD) October 28, 2019
At least five homes are burning on Tigertail Road in the Brentwood area, according to ABC7.
The CHP was closing all on- and off-ramps in the fire area but was keeping the freeway open to aid in evacuations.
SIGALERT UPDATE**: 405 AT GETTY CTR DR (NB/SB OFRS/ONRS CLOSED) (S/B SIDE) SKIRBALL CTR DR., SEPULVEDA BL., SUNSET BL. GETTY CTR DR., MULHOLLAND DR. AND (N/B SIDE) SEPULVEDA BL., SUNSET BL. MONAGA DR. GETTY CTR DR., SKIRBALL CTR DR. AND MULHOLLAND DR. CLOSED DUE TO BRUSH FIRE
— CHP PIO – LA County (@CHPsouthern) October 28, 2019
Around 2:45 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department sent L.A. residents messages on their cellphones, accompanied by what some described as very loud buzzing noises. It said: “Emergency Alert. Prepare to evacuate due to fire near the Getty going W. More info: lafd.org/alerts .” A subsequent message included orders to actually evacuate.
MAPS: Evacuation areas — voluntary and mandatory — for the Getty fire in the Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Topanga areas
On the 405 #GettyFire early this morning. pic.twitter.com/JnR2PJYIxJ
— Bradley Bermont (@bradleybermont) October 28, 2019
The Fire Department ordered mandatory evacuations from Temescal Canyon Road on the west, Sunset Boulevard to the south, the 405 Freeway on the east and Mulholland Drive on the north, LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. Voluntary evacuations were posted for Mulholland Drive to the north, Topanga Canyon Boulevard to the west, Sunset Boulevard to the south and Mandeville Canyon Road to the east, she said.
Evacuation centers were soon open at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 South Sepulveda Boulevard, near Wilshire Boulevard, the Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center at 14201 Huston St. and for animals at the West Valley Animal Shelter at 20655 Plummer St. and the West L.A. Animal Shelter at 11361 West Pico Blvd.
The LAFD ordered students to evacuate from Mount Saint Mary’s University at 12001 Chalon Road. Evacuations were also ordered for 200 people in a care facility next door.
Classes were suspended Monday at Mount Saint Mary’s Chalon Campus in Brentwood as well as at the Doheny campus, which was not reported threatened by fire.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is closing the following schools on Monday:
- University High School
- Palisades Charter High School
- Emerson Middle School
- Revere Middle School
- Brentwood Elementary
- Brockton Elementary
- Canyon Elementary
- Community Magnet
- Fairburn Elementary
- Kentner Elementary
- Marquez Elementary
- Paliades Elementary
- Roscomare Elementary
- Nora Sterry Elementary
- Topanga Elementary
- Warner Elementary
The Los Angeles Police Department announced a citywide tactical alert, which means officers currently working will stay on duty until further notice.
“This is a very dynamic situation due to high winds and information is quickly developing. Stay vigilant,” Stewart wrote on Twitter.
The fire was believed to have been 3 to 4 acres when first observed and but soon spread to about 40 acres. By 3:30 a.m., it was reported at more than 70 acres. By 5 a.m. it had burgeoned to 250 acres and soon after that was reported to be more than 400 acres.
In an interview on the fire line near the 405 Freeway, Mayor Eric Garcetti said this past winter’s “unprecedented rain provided a lot of fuel for this fire and other fires that we’ve seen. This is something that’s not going to change in a couple of years.”
He attributed more fires to climate change, saying: “It feels like it’s been steadily growing the last few years. It’s the new normal.”
Los Angeles firefighters were waiting for daybreak to fly planes overhead to get a better sense of size and scope of the fire, he said.
Daily News staff and City News Service contributed to this report.