Skirball Fire: Evacuation Orders Lifted

BEL AIR, CA — Firefighters managed to largely halt the Skirball Fire's forward march into the heart of the city Thursday despite Santa Ana winds expected to reach 80 mph. The Skirball Fire remained at roughly 475 acres, and no homes were destroyed Thursday after the blaze ate up four homes in upscale Bel Air.

One firefighter suffered neck burns and was treated at a hospital, authorities said.

Red flag parking restrictions meant to keep streets open for firefighting equipment will expire at 8 a.m. Friday, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas.

The fire has been kept to the east side of the freeway.

Evacuation orders had covered a large area bounded by Mulholland Drive to the north, Sunset Boulevard to the south, the 405 to the west and Roscomare Road on the east. The exception to the evacuation order was the Bel- Air Crest housing development, which was not threatened, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Thursday afternoon, Garcetti announced that evacuation orders would be lifted at 8 p.m. for residents on the north side of Casiano Road off Mulholland Drive, Roscomare Road -- with the exception of Roscomare at Linda Flora Drive -- and streets between Bellagio and Sunset Boulevard.

About 100 officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were sent to the neighborhood to handle evacuation orders and units would remain on duty, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said.

A citywide police tactical alert, however, was canceled about 5 p.m.

The Getty Center and the nearby Skirball Center, both on the west side of the freeway, did not appear to be threatened, though both remained closed Thursday. Getty officials said both museums will reopen Friday.

Though the smallest of the Los Angeles County wildfires, The Skirball Fire has already destroyed four homes and forced the closure of the entire San Diego (405) Freeway Wednesday, bringing rush hour traffic on of the nation's busiest roadways to a grinding halt. Intense Santa Ana winds picked up over night, and evacuations remained in place, but fire officials reported no new losses Thursday.

Crews spread out across every few homes in Bel Air Wednesday battling to protect the neighborhood from the inferno, which ultimately destroyed four homes, damaging 12 more and shut down one of the nation's busiest stretches of roadway.

"A lot of the area of this fire is in steep and inaccessible terrain that hasn't burned in decades if not longer," said LAFD Spoksesman Pete Sanders.

Despite intense morning wind gusts, crews were able to hold the fire to 475-acres for hours, reaching 20 percent containment.

Thousands were forced to flee to safety as 700 homes and one apartment building and school were evacuated. All evacuations remained in place Wednesday night. The fiercest Santa Ana winds of the last decade died down for much of Wednesday, giving firefighters a chance to mount a defense against the 475-acre blaze, but hurricane force gusts were expected to return to the canyons overnight, leaving thousands to wonder if they would have homes to return to.

"There are a lot of hotspots right next to homes, so we are not recommending people come back. We are not allowing people to come back right now," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "We will make a decision about that later this afternoon, and we will announce that to the public hopefully around 3 p.m. this afternoon."

UCLA, Cal State Northridge, Los Angeles Valley College and Santa Monica College all canceled classes Thursday. UCLA officials said university medical facilities remained open.

Classes and campus activities were to resume at all four schools on Friday.

All Los Angeles Unified School District schools in the San Fernando Valley and some on the west side of Los Angeles -- a total of 265 district schools and charter schools -- were closed Thursday and will remain shuttered Friday. A full list of closed schools was available at www.lausd.net.

To assist families affected by the closures, the LAUSD planned to set up special centers between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with meals available for students, at:

Byrd Middle School, 8501 Arleta Ave. in Sun Valley;

Reseda High School, 18230 Kittridge St. in Reseda; and

Palms Middle School, 10860 Woodbine St. in Palms.

The Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District closed all of its schools Wednesday and Thursday. Schools in Santa Monica were expected to reopen on Friday, but Malibu schools will remain closed, the district announced.

The fire was burning in the same general area as the devastating Bel- Air Fire of 1961. That blaze destroyed about 500 homes and led to various policy changes, including a prohibition on wood-shingle roofs and the strict requirement to remove brush from around properties.

The Skirball Fire was reported at 4:52 a.m. Wednesday on the east side of the freeway near Mulholland Drive, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. By 4:45 p.m. the fire was estimated to have burned 475 acres and was 5 percent contained, though no injuries were reported, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Deputy Chief Charles Butler.

The fire was kept to the east side of the freeway and with winds easing, the forward movement of the fire was halted, but firefighters were in a desperate race to contain the blaze before expected evening gusts, Butler said.

"When the winds come up they're going to come out of the northeast and they will want to push that fire across the 405 Freeway," Butler said. "That's why it's critically important that we get some containment on this tonight."

Hundreds of residents awoke early Wednesday to the sound of evacuation orders and authorities banging on their doors. Many had no time to grab precious belongings. However, some were allowed to briefly return home Wednesday afternoon to pack during a narrow window.

Terri Greenbaum, arrived to see her home of 15 years had survived, but the flames came so close, her doormat melted. “That’s how close the flames got,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

“My husband and I threw our clothes and computers into the car and left,” she told the newspaper. “I was a little worried when I saw the firetruck outside when I was coming up, but my home is fine for now.”

Aircraft crews, engine companies and hand crews were at work battling the fire, with more than 300 firefighters deployed, he said. Six fixed-wing aircraft and a number of helicopters were deployed to the scene, Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti said at a morning news briefing.

The Getty Center and the nearby Skirball Center, both on the west side of the freeway, and did not appear to be threatened. Both were closed for the day and were to remain closed on Thursday. Santa Monica College and all schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu school district were closed.

Fifty-two Los Angeles Unified School District schools and another 40 charter schools were closed citywide in response to the Skirball Fire and other blazes in the area, a district official said.

Shortly after 6 a.m., mandatory evacuations were ordered for Moraga Drive, Linda Flora Drive, and Casiano Road, down to Bellagio Road, according to the LAFD. The evacuation order was later expanded, covering a large area bounded by Mulholland Drive to the north, Sunset Boulevard to the south, the 405 to the west and Roscomare Road on the east.

"These are days that break your heart; but these are also days that show the resilience of our city," Garcetti said.

Evacuation centers have been established at Delano Recreation Center, 15100 Erwin St., Van Nuys; Balboa RC, 17015 Burbank Blvd., Van Nuys; Sherman Oaks RC, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks; and Westwood RC, 1350 Sepulveda Blvd., Westwood.

In the early stages of the fire, both directions of the San Diego (405) Freeway were closed between the Ventura (101) and Santa Monica (10) freeways -- one of the nation's most heavily traveled roadways. The result was overloaded local streets and severe congestion in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles that prompted many Angelenos to stay home.

Garcetti declared a local state of emergency in response to the fire, requesting state and federal assistance. He signed an emergency declaration Tuesday due to the Creek Fire near Sylmar. Gov. Jerry Brown also declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County Tuesday in response to the various fires burning in the area.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

Photo: LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 06: A firefighter sprays water on trees near a burning home in the wealthy Bel-Air neighborhood during the Skirball Fire on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are rapidly pushing multiple wildfires across the region, expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Interstate 405 is deserted after being closed during rush hour in an area near the Skirball Fire on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are rapidly pushing multiple wildfires across the region, expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)