Wildfires threaten celebrity residences as winds fan blazes, force hundreds of thousands of evacuations
By
Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Oct 28, 2019 4:30 PM EDT
The Getty Fire is seen here burning along the side of a mountain along Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 28. People in this area were urged to evacuate.
The destruction wrought by the Kincade and Tick fires only grew more immense over the weekend after igniting in Northern and Southern California late last week. To add to the pair’s devastation, a third blaze dubbed the Getty Fire has threatened thousands of homes in populated areas and caused even more evacuations.
The Getty Fire originally ignited along the 405 Freeway on Monday morning and has since threatened the Brentwood and Westside communities. Brentwood is famously notable for the vast number of luxurious homes and celebrities that have resided in the area, such as Marilyn Monroe, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joan Crawford and superstar athletes like LeBron James and Tom Brady.
Both James and Schwarzenegger shared on Twitter that the blaze forced their families to evacuate.
"We evacuated safely at 3:30 this morning," the former California Gov. Schwarzenegger said on Twitter. "If you are in an evacuation zone, don’t screw around. Get out. Right now I am grateful for the best firefighters in the world, the true action heroes who charge into the danger to protect their fellow Californians. #GettyFire"
The iconic Getty Center, home of the Getty Museum, is located just a few miles away from the wildfire, but is reportedly safe from the fire. Valued at $3.85 billion in 2013, the center is the most valuable property in the state.
According to a blog posted on the Getty Center's website, the fire came about a half mile from the northern edge of the complex. Flames encroaches on the hillsides above the Getty parking area.
The Getty Center served as a rest area for fire crews. Over 1,000 firefighters are on hand fighting the blaze.
“The dedication of our staff and the professionalism of our region’s first responders was nothing short of heroic,” Getty president Jim Cuno said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for their courage and hard work.”
A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has said that at least two structures have burned so far. According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2,600 customers were without power early Monday morning in areas of BelAir, Westwood and Brentwood.
PG&E continues to restore customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Saturday, as it works to prepare for an additional shutoff planned to begin. Another 605,000 customers are set for planned power outages on Tuesday, the company said in a press release.
The blaze had exploded to 500 acres in just a matter of hours Monday, with no containment. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press conference that the cause for the blaze is under investigation.
By 4:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, the blaze had grow to 618 acres and was 5% contained.
"This is a fire that has quickly spread, it is now over 500 acres. But we luckily have a lot of heroes in our fire station who rolled out immediately," Garcetti said Monday. "We have over 500 firefighters that are on the line in some of the most challenging topography of Los Angeles. I personally saw five homes that are on Tiger Tail that have been lost but I saw them holding the line there and it has not spread farther in the last couple hours."
There are more than 10,000 residential and commercial structures in the mandatory evacuation zone for the Getty Fire.
In Northern California, over 200,000 residents around Sonoma County have been displaced. The Sheriffs Office of Sonoma County said 4,373 personnel, 10 helicopters, 85 hand crews, and 66 bulldozers are being equipped by the county to fight the fire.
"Approx. 180,000 people under evacuation order due to #KincadeFire," the office said on Twitter. "This is the largest evacuation that any of us at the Sheriff’s Office can remember. Take care of each other."
With more than 74,000 acres burned, as of 7 p.m. local time Monday, and 123 structures destroyed, the blaze has triggered the need for a Red Flag Warning through Tuesday morning.
The Kincade Fire raced toward the same region that was ravaged by the Tubbs Fire in 2017.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sunday in response to the top-to-bottom crises grappling the state. In his statement, Newsom specifically notes the historic winds fueling the blazes.
"Beginning on October 7, 2019, a significant wind event struck California, resulting in nearly statewide red flag warnings due to extremely dangerous fire weather conditions," the statement read. "Erratic winds, high temperatures, and dry conditions have further increased the spread of these fires; and... Under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that the conditions caused by the multiple fires, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond."
While wildfires haven't been as destructive in California as they were in 2018, AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers estimated on Friday that wildfires this year will cost California $100 billion in economic losses.
"This estimate, which includes both insured and uninsured losses, is far less than our estimate for the 2018 wildfire season," Myers said.
The Southern Californian Tick Fire has been more manageably contained in recent days than the Kincade Fire, but the blaze has struck different notes of fear for residents. On Saturday, authorities reported the discovery of human remains in an area where the blaze had ignited at least six houses.
At 7 a.m. local time, the LAFD reported 509 firefighters battling the blaze and 10,000 residencies remained threatened. The blaze is now at 82% containment.
According to the department, four firefighters have been injured battling the 4,615 acres of wildfire since it began last Thursday. The blaze has also destroyed or damaged 60 total structures.
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News / Weather News
Wildfires threaten celebrity residences as winds fan blazes, force hundreds of thousands of evacuations
By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Oct 28, 2019 4:30 PM EDT
The Getty Fire is seen here burning along the side of a mountain along Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 28. People in this area were urged to evacuate.
The destruction wrought by the Kincade and Tick fires only grew more immense over the weekend after igniting in Northern and Southern California late last week. To add to the pair’s devastation, a third blaze dubbed the Getty Fire has threatened thousands of homes in populated areas and caused even more evacuations.
The Getty Fire originally ignited along the 405 Freeway on Monday morning and has since threatened the Brentwood and Westside communities. Brentwood is famously notable for the vast number of luxurious homes and celebrities that have resided in the area, such as Marilyn Monroe, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joan Crawford and superstar athletes like LeBron James and Tom Brady.
Both James and Schwarzenegger shared on Twitter that the blaze forced their families to evacuate.
"We evacuated safely at 3:30 this morning," the former California Gov. Schwarzenegger said on Twitter. "If you are in an evacuation zone, don’t screw around. Get out. Right now I am grateful for the best firefighters in the world, the true action heroes who charge into the danger to protect their fellow Californians. #GettyFire"
The iconic Getty Center, home of the Getty Museum, is located just a few miles away from the wildfire, but is reportedly safe from the fire. Valued at $3.85 billion in 2013, the center is the most valuable property in the state.
According to a blog posted on the Getty Center's website, the fire came about a half mile from the northern edge of the complex. Flames encroaches on the hillsides above the Getty parking area.
The Getty Center served as a rest area for fire crews. Over 1,000 firefighters are on hand fighting the blaze.
“The dedication of our staff and the professionalism of our region’s first responders was nothing short of heroic,” Getty president Jim Cuno said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for their courage and hard work.”
A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has said that at least two structures have burned so far. According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2,600 customers were without power early Monday morning in areas of BelAir, Westwood and Brentwood.
PG&E continues to restore customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Saturday, as it works to prepare for an additional shutoff planned to begin. Another 605,000 customers are set for planned power outages on Tuesday, the company said in a press release.
The blaze had exploded to 500 acres in just a matter of hours Monday, with no containment. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press conference that the cause for the blaze is under investigation.
By 4:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, the blaze had grow to 618 acres and was 5% contained.
"This is a fire that has quickly spread, it is now over 500 acres. But we luckily have a lot of heroes in our fire station who rolled out immediately," Garcetti said Monday. "We have over 500 firefighters that are on the line in some of the most challenging topography of Los Angeles. I personally saw five homes that are on Tiger Tail that have been lost but I saw them holding the line there and it has not spread farther in the last couple hours."
There are more than 10,000 residential and commercial structures in the mandatory evacuation zone for the Getty Fire.
In Northern California, over 200,000 residents around Sonoma County have been displaced. The Sheriffs Office of Sonoma County said 4,373 personnel, 10 helicopters, 85 hand crews, and 66 bulldozers are being equipped by the county to fight the fire.
"Approx. 180,000 people under evacuation order due to #KincadeFire," the office said on Twitter. "This is the largest evacuation that any of us at the Sheriff’s Office can remember. Take care of each other."
With more than 74,000 acres burned, as of 7 p.m. local time Monday, and 123 structures destroyed, the blaze has triggered the need for a Red Flag Warning through Tuesday morning.
The Kincade Fire raced toward the same region that was ravaged by the Tubbs Fire in 2017.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sunday in response to the top-to-bottom crises grappling the state. In his statement, Newsom specifically notes the historic winds fueling the blazes.
"Beginning on October 7, 2019, a significant wind event struck California, resulting in nearly statewide red flag warnings due to extremely dangerous fire weather conditions," the statement read. "Erratic winds, high temperatures, and dry conditions have further increased the spread of these fires; and... Under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that the conditions caused by the multiple fires, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond."
While wildfires haven't been as destructive in California as they were in 2018, AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers estimated on Friday that wildfires this year will cost California $100 billion in economic losses.
"This estimate, which includes both insured and uninsured losses, is far less than our estimate for the 2018 wildfire season," Myers said.
The Southern Californian Tick Fire has been more manageably contained in recent days than the Kincade Fire, but the blaze has struck different notes of fear for residents. On Saturday, authorities reported the discovery of human remains in an area where the blaze had ignited at least six houses.
At 7 a.m. local time, the LAFD reported 509 firefighters battling the blaze and 10,000 residencies remained threatened. The blaze is now at 82% containment.
According to the department, four firefighters have been injured battling the 4,615 acres of wildfire since it began last Thursday. The blaze has also destroyed or damaged 60 total structures.
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