Brush Fire Near Getty Center Snarls 405

A brush fire broke out in the hills near the Getty Center in Brentwood on Wednesday afternoon, pushing heavy smoke over Interstate 405 and forcing the museum to close at the height of Los Angeles rush hour.

The blaze, dubbed the Getty Fire, was first spotted shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday burning in the hills near Getty Center Drive, above the northbound lanes of the 405, and quickly grew to roughly five acres.

Evacuation warnings were issued for two areas of Brentwood at about 4:40 p.m., according to the Watch Duty app cited by Deadline.

A Getty Center employee told Deadline that guests were being evacuated and the facility was closed, though the trams to and from the center were still running.

No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported in initial coverage, and the cause was unknown.

The Response

Incident Command requested five additional engines, two water tenders and four hand crews, per Deadline; the New York Post reported that an arriving unit requested ten additional engines as the Los Angeles Fire Department called in hand crews and air resources.

A Chinook helicopter began drawing water from the Stone Canyon Reservoir to drop on the fire, Deadline reported. Multiple aircraft attacked the blaze from above, according to the Post.