Los Angeles firefighters continued their battle against a stubborn mountainside blaze on Tuesday, with their eyes on the clock because of a forecast for high winds that could make their task far more difficult.
The Getty fire has consumed 658 acres, with only 5 percent contained by Tuesday morning, but the Los Angeles City Fire Department was confident it was making headway.
“That’s a good sign actually that it didn’t grow by more,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters Tuesday morning.
But their job will be more difficult later Tuesday with Santa Ana winds that will gust up to 25 mph in West Los Angeles — and then accelerate up to 40 mph on Wednesday, according to forecasts. Some mountainous regions of Los Angeles County could even experience gusts of up to 70 mph.
“Those extreme wind events we’re going to see … those can pick up and transfer the fire miles away,” Garcetti said.
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More than 1,100 firefighters from agencies across the region were on the lines Tuesday, battling burning tinder-dry brush that hasn’t seen rain for months.It’s been 125 days — about four months — since the last rain fell in downtown and 95 days since it rained at Los Angeles International Airport.
“Our goal today will be to increase containment as much as possible. That is our primary objective,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said. “It only takes one ember to blow down wind and start another fire.”
City officials maintained an evacuation zone Tuesday in West Los Angeles — south of Mulholland Drive, north of Sunset Boulevard, east of Temescal Canyon Road and west of the San Diego Freeway — and urged residents just outside that area to keep bags packed.
Terrazas told residents to gather medicine, key documents and any other irreplaceable items.
“Today you need to be set. We have a known threat tonight with this high wind event,” Terrazas said. “You must be ready and now set. Set means get the things you want to take with you and get them prepared in case you have to leave quickly.”
More than 10,000 homes and business are in a mandatory evacuation zone, officials said. At least eight homes have already been destroyed and six more damaged, fire officials said.
The evacuation zone included homes belonging to some of Southern California’s most rich and famous residents, such as former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and NBA icon LeBron James.
While wealthy homeowners have made their way out, some have failed to tell their maids and gardeners to steer clear, according to City Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents the region.
“I want to encourage people to make sure that they are reaching out to anybody who may be showing up at their homes and urging them to stay away … whether it’s your mother-in-law or your son’s girlfriend or boyfriend or your gardener or your housekeeper,” Bonin said.
The blaze broke out at about 1:34 a.m. on Monday in the Sepulveda Pass, not far from the famed Getty Center art museum.
While curators insisted their priceless artifacts were safe from nearby flames, the museum was closed to visitors both Monday and Tuesday.
Kathryn Prociv contributed.
