Getty fire doesn’t grow much overnight, but firefighters concerned about Tuesday night’s strong winds
Firefighters continued to battle the 658-acre Getty fire Tuesday that destroyed at least eight homes one day earlier and has sent thousands of residents fleeing from west of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, at a Tuesday morning press conference, said that though the blaze had only slightly increased in size overnight, up from 618 acres, the firefight was not slowing down.
“People will not be returning to their homes this evening,” Garcetti said.
A major concern going into the Getty fire’s second day are the powerful winds expected to blow in Tuesday night.
Containment of the wind-driven blaze remained at 5%, but the portion of the southbound 405 that had been shuttered was been re-opened in time for early commuters.
Officials said the goal was to increase containment as much as possible before Tuesday night’s powerful winds, which are forecast to be as strong as 70 miles per hour.
“It just takes one ember to blow downwind and start another fire,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas.
“Embers are known to travel for miles,” he said. “We are very concerned about tonight’s wind.”
The Getty fire started at about 1:30 a.m. Monday, below The Getty Center, and quickly swelled with the help of Santa Ana winds that pushed it west.
Garcetti said that officials may learn the result of the arson investigation in the next day or two. So far, a probable cause has not been disclosed.
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Los Angeles Fire Department officials said about 20,000 people had been evacuated before orders were lifted Monday evening on the Mountain Gate neighborhood near the freeway and Mountaingate Drive.
SCHOOL CLOSURES: These public and private schools are closed due to the Getty fire
MAP: This is where the Getty fire is burning, and where evacuations are in place
As of Tuesday morning, mandatory evacuations remained in place for the swath bordered by Temescal Canyon Road to the west, Sunset Boulevard to the south, Mulholland Drive to the north and the 405 Freeway to the east.
Evacuation orders have been issued for roughly 10,000 structures, homes and commercial buildings.
Firefighters were working to get a strong hold of the blaze as soon as they could in preparation for possibly the strongest winds of the season, expected to arrive Tuesday night.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.