The grounds of the Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles caught fire amid the fast-moving wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.
The educational centre and art museum, which is closed to the public, said in a statement: “Today, a brush fire started in Pacific Palisades fueled by extremely high winds.
“At the Getty Villa, some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but no structures are on fire, and staff and the collection remain safe.”
The museum is closed to non-emergency staff and the public, and is currently due to reopen on Monday (13 January).
Via the Los Angeles Times, Katherine Fleming, president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said: “Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year.
“Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe.”
The Getty Center will also be closed to the public today (8 January), “in an abundance of caution and to keep roads clear in the surrounding areas”.
The Getty Center also closed to public
“We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available,” the Getty said.
Via the BBC, Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency as the wildfire spreads to almost 3,000 acres, with more than 30,000 residents evacuating their homes.
The fire broke out at around 10.30am on Tuesday (7 January) and rapidly spread in dry conditions and high winds.
Images courtesy of the Getty
