California Fires Today: Getty Continues To Rage, LeBron James Forced To Evacuate [Watch]
The California fire situation has turned worse. Latest is the Getty Fire that broke out Monday morning in Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles where many celebrities and high-value homes are housed.
According to the latest news by Weather Channel, the state would see the third round of fire danger on Tuesday and southern California may witness high winds.
The blaze broke out near the Getty art museum in Los Angeles at 1.34 am local time Monday and the 405 Freeway, in dry brush.
The Getty Center said its museum grounds are safe as of Monday morning. The fire was burning to the north and west of the property.
It updated that art was protected by “state-of-the-art technology”, and the “safest place for the art and library collections is inside.”
NBA star LeBron James and Schwarzenegger evacuated
The Getty fire forced the evacuation of the NBA star LeBron James who tweeted about the sudden development.
Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also evacuated and The Terminator star called up neighbors to flee when ordered: “If you are in an evacuation zone, don’t screw around. Get out.”
Students at Mount Saint Mary's University also vacated.
Firefighters had a tough time in bringing a raging wine country wildfire under control. There was some lull in the weather on Monday. Extreme winds had been fuelling fires across the state and they may gain more momentum soon.
Winds lashing with an average speed of 100mph made the Kincade fire violent and aided its spread as the largest burning fire in the state.
The fire scorched more than 66,000 acres, destroyed 100 structures, and led to the unprecedented evacuation of more than 185,000 people in the area.
The Los Angeles mayor, Eric Garcetti urged residents to obey evacuation warnings. “If you have an evacuation notice and you are still in your home, leave. We have seen tragedies before ... get your loved ones and your pets and go,” he said.
Two million people powerless
The raging fire forced the Utility company to switch off the power that left more than 2 million people without power.
California’s largest utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric, shut off power saying it wanted to prevent its equipment from triggering more blazes.
Meanwhile, a report by the Los Angeles Times said a wind-driven brush spread to many hillside communities on the west side of Los Angeles on Monday and burnt down homes and forced rapid evacuations.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said that, despite firefighters’ efforts, at least eight homes, including many on Tigertail Road, had been destroyed in the blaze.
Mayor Eric Garcetti urged residents to leave at the earliest if mandatory evacuation orders exist. Some get only 15 minutes to flee when the flames advance.
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