Getty Fire Live Updates: Extreme Windstorm Threatens Firefight

LOS ANGELES, CA — As smoke blanketed the Santa Monica Mountains Wednesday, thousands of residents with homes in the path of the fire settled into an eerie calm — The flames are out, but the threat remains as real as ever. The worst windstorm to hit Los Angeles in more than a decade has begun, and a single ember carried on the wind can spark catastrophe.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that while there were no open flames visible in the burn area, that could change with a single ember carried on a wind gust.

The next 30 hours remain critical as gusts of up to 80 miles per hour are expected with the potential to spread devastation far and wide across Los Angeles.

"Adverse weather conditions will be the biggest challenge for firefighters," Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. "In anticipation of the extreme Santa Ana wind event, the LAFD has recalled and staffed additional resources for any emergency that may arise over the next 24 hours. These resources will be strategically placed in key locations that have a history of being prone to wildfire."

As LA settled into the calm before the storm, city officials confirmed that Getty fire was caused by a fallen tree branch that struck a power line causing sparks that fell onto the brush below.

"This was, simply put, ... an act of God," Garcetti said. A dash camera video posted to youtube by the Los Angeles Fire Department shows the moment the fire broke out.

The Getty Fire was officially listed at 656 acres, Tuesday afternoon with containment at 15%, up from 5% Monday night. Officials confirmed that 12 homes in one of the nation's priciest ZIP codes had been destroyed by the flames, and five others were damaged. There were no reports of any injuries.

Thousands of Brentwood residents hoping to be allowed back home Tuesday awoke to the news the mandatory evacuation would remain in place possibly through Thursday because of the anticipated windstorm.

RELATED: Getty Fire School Closures For Wednesday

"It only takes one ember to blow downwind and start another fire," Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said. "Embers have been known to travel several miles, so we are very concerned about tonight's wind event."

For firefighters, Tuesday will be a race against the clock.

"Our goal today will be to increase containment as much as possible," Terrazas said.

In all, more than 7,000 structures remained evacuated, and authorities are warning residents they may not be allowed to return to their homes until the winds subside as late as Thursday. Those anticipated winds prompted the National Weather Service to issue what it described as an unprecedented "extreme red flag warning" for much of Los Angeles County, noting that some mountain areas could be blasted with gusts of up to 80 mph.

"The peak of the event is expected to be Wednesday when damaging wind gusts between 50 and 80 mph will be likely for the wind-prone areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with isolated gusts to 80 mph in the mountains," according to the NWS. "This Santa Ana wind event will likely be the strongest we have seen so far this season. These strong winds combined with a long duration of single-digit humidities and dry fuels will likely bring very critical fire weather conditions, making this an extreme red flag warning event."

The red flag warning covering the bulk of the county took effect at 11 p.m. and remain in force until 6 p.m. Thursday. Garcetti and Terrazas said they expect the winds to peak at 3 a.m. Wednesday, but the heightened danger will continue through Thursday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom toured part of the burn area with Garcetti and other officials Tuesday afternoon. He hailed the collective work of the two dozen fire agencies that have combined to fight the Getty Fire, and he even hailed the support and cooperation the state has been receiving from the Trump Administration, despite the near-constant political battles between California and the federal government.

The evacuation a zone in place Tuesday night stretches from the 405 Freeway west to Temescal Canyon Road and between Sunset Boulevard to the south and Mulholland Drive to the north, Terrazas said.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Los Angeles City Council member Mike Bonin acknowledged a problem with gardeners, nannies and housekeepers showing up to work in neighborhoods under evacuation. He implored residents to help keep their staffs safe and informed of the latest evacuation orders.

Garcetti praised the firefighters on the front lines.

"They are tired. They are on the lines and continuing to give it their all to protect our city and our people," he said.

Overnight, the fire grew by just 40 acres, a testament to the efforts of 1,100 firefighters and air crews,Garcetti said. But crews did see flair-ups on the eastern edge of Tiger Tail. The flair-ups served as a reminder that even though residents may not see smoke or flames, it's not yet safe to return home because the situation can turn deadly within seconds.

Firefighters using earth-moving equipment struggled Tuesday to expand containment lines around the wildfire that swept through canyons and hillsides in the Sepulveda Pass.

SEE ALSO:

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• 5 Important Facts On The Getty Fire

All across Los Angeles County, the pending Santa Ana windstorm remains a threat. Residents in fire-prone areas should be prepared to evacuate on a minute's notice. Residents in the City of Los Angeles should text NotifyLA at 888-777 to automatically receive emergency alerts by text.

Because of the anticipated winds and fire risks Tuesday evening, red-flag parking restrictions mandated by the Los Angeles Fire Department will go into effect in the city of Los Angeles at 8 p.m. to keep narrow, hilly streets clear to allow fire trucks unimpeded passage.

The fire forced the closure of the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway for 10 hours Monday, and firefighters used aircraft and dozer teams to strengthen containment lines, reporting good progress in slowing the spread of the fire, LAFD spokesman Brain Humphrey said. More dozer teams were deployed early Tuesday before sunrise.

Dubbed the Getty Fire, the blaze was reported shortly after 1:30 a.m. Monday by a witness who called the California Highway Patrol and reported seeing flames on a hillside close to the 405 Freeway near Getty Center Drive, along with a possible power line on fire, according to the CHP.

Initially reported at about three or four acres, the blaze quickly fed on dry brush to expand to about 40 acres. By 8 a.m., the flames had chewed through an estimated 500 acres, threatening some of the Southland's richest neighborhoods, including Bel-Air and Brentwood.

The flames burned amid red-flag fire conditions, with wind gusts between 35 and 50 mph, the weather service said.

Authorities drove through neighborhood streets early Monday with flashing lights ordering residents to leave. Among those evacuated was Lakers star LeBron James, who said on Twitter: "Had to emergency evacuate my house and I've been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far!" He later tweeted he had found accommodations.

Actor and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also wrote on Twitter that he was evacuated at around 3:30 a.m. Due to the fire, Monday night's Hollywood red-carpet premiere of his latest movie, "Terminator: Dark Fate," was canceled.

An area south of Sunset to Pacific Coast Highway was briefly ordered evacuated, but those orders were downgraded to an evacuation warning by midday.

Residents in the area between Temescal Canyon Road and Topanga Canyon, from Sunset to Mulholland, were also told to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

Late Monday afternoon, evacuation orders were lifted for the Mountaingate community just south of Mulholland Drive, but Garcetti said all other evacuees should anticipate being out of their homes for at least two days. He said authorities don't want to lift evacuations prematurely, only to order people back out if winds kick up again overnight or Tuesday afternoon.

The LAFD also ordered students to evacuate from Mount Saint Mary's University at 12001 Chalon Road. Evacuations were also ordered for 200 people in a care facility next door.

Classes were suspended at Mount Saint Mary's Chalon Campus in Brentwood as well as at the Doheny campus, which was not reported threatened by fire. Undergraduate classes remained canceled Tuesday at both campuses, but graduate classes will resume at the Doheny campus, university officials said.

Evacuation centers were opened at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd., near Wilshire Boulevard and the Palisades Recreation Center, 851 Alma Real Drive.

Evacuation centers for animals were established at the West Valley Animal Shelter at 20655 Plummer St., the West L.A. Animal Shelter at 11361 West Pico Blvd. Hansen Dam Recreation Center at 11770 Foothill Blvd. in Lake View Terrace was opened to receive large animals.

The Los Angeles Unified School District closed several campuses in response to the Getty Fire, and district officials said all of those campuses remained closed Tuesday. They are: Palisades and University high schools, Emerson and Revere middle schools and Brentwood, Brockton, Canyon, Community Magnet, Fairburn, Kenter, Marquez, Palisades, Roscomare, Nora Sterry, Topanga, Warner and Westwood elementary schools.

Also closed were independent charter schools Palisades Charter High School, Magnolia Science Academy Nos. 4 and 6, and Citizens of the World — Gateway and Ivy Place campuses. More information about when those schools would reopen was expected Tuesday, according to a message on the Palisades Charter High website.

All Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District campuses were closed Monday, but the district announced Monday night classes would resume Tuesday.

Also closed Monday were UCLA, Santa Monica College and the private John Thomas Dye Elementary School at 11414 Chalon Road in Bel-Air. Classes and campus operations at both UCLA and Santa Monica College resumed Tuesday, both schools announced Monday night..

The Getty Center museum was not believed to be in immediate danger from the flames. Officials there said Getty Center and the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades would be closed through Friday to ensure fire crews had adequate access to the area to fight the flames.

The 405 Freeway, a southbound stretch of which was closed for much of the day Monday, was open through the Sepulveda Pass, but exit ramps between the Ventura (101) Freeway in Sherman Oaks to Sunset Boulevard were blocked.

Newsom announced the state has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of resources to fight the Getty Fire.

The Fire Management Assistance Grant will assist local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75 percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs.

Newsom has declared a statewide emergency due to the dangerous weather conditions, which have resulted in fires and evacuations across the state.

Garcetti signed a local disaster declaration Monday morning, and County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Janice Hahn signed a countywide order by early afternoon.

City News Service contributed to this report.