The fire broke out and began burning on a hill around 1:30 a.m. adjacent to the 405 Freeway at Getty Center Drive near the Getty Center museum. It quickly burned 75 acres, with the acreage growing to 618 acres by 12 p.m.
The California Highway Patrol said homes in the area were being threatened and the southbound side from the 101 Freeway to Sunset Boulevard was shut down, as well as all off-ramps on the northbound side between Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive. People were asked to avoid the 405 Freeway as firefighters battled the flames that were threatening homes.
MORE: See full list and map of evacuation area, road closures due to the Getty Fire
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced he was signing an emergency declaration to bring more resources to help battle the blaze. During a press conference, Garcetti said the fire was not caused by an encampment or by someone without housing.
Erik Scott with the LAFD said at least two structures were burning. Additional homes appeared to be damaged from the blaze, including at least five homes burning along the 1100 block of N. Tigertail Road.
PHOTOS: Getty Fire burns in West Los Angeles
“We still have about five structures we believe here that the fire has taken, a couple across the canyon as well,” Garcetti said about the homes on N. Tigertail Road.
Mandatory evacuations were issued for the MountainGate and Mandeville Canyon communities as early as 2:40 a.m. The freeway remained opened to allow evacuees to leave the area.
The mandatory evacuation zone was later extended to the west, with Temescal Canyon Road established as the western border, and Sunset Boulevard as the southern border, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Mulholland Drive is acting as northern border and the 405 Freeway remaining the eastern border.
LAFD officials said approximately 10,000 residential and commercial structures were under mandatory evacuation as the fire moved westward. On Twitter, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said he had to “emergency evacuate” his home.
Man these LA 🔥 aren’t no joke. Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far! 🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 28, 2019
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was also among those who were evacuated.
Mount Saint Mary’s University at 12001 Chalon Rd., the Chalon campus, was also being evacuated, along with a senior living center at 11999 Chalon Rd., officials said. Students were being evacuated to the Doheny Campus. Several evacuation centers were available to those evacuated.
About 2,600 customers were without power due to the blaze, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The affected area included Bel Air, Brentwood and Westwood. It is unclear when power will be restored.
Approximately 500 firefighters were tackling the blaze from the air and ground.
An emergency alert message was sent around 2:45 a.m. notifying residents of the need to evacuate due to the blaze.
Southern California is bracing for the return of Santa Ana winds as it remains under red flag conditions Monday. Several blazes ravaged the area last week as the combination of Santa Ana winds, low humidity and hot temperatures created dangerous fire conditions.
It was not immediately known what caused the fire.
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