Although most of the Pacific Palisades has been reduced to ash and rubble after falling into the path of California’s devastating wildfires, the iconic Getty Museum is still standing after implementing a simple routine.
The museum’s successful efforts to contain the fire beg the question: Why didn’t Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass use similar tactics to protect homes and land?
Bass is under pressure to resign over the ongoing wildfire crisis, with revelations that heroic firefighters struggled to access enough water to battle the infernos and that fire hydrants were empty.
She cut the L.A. Fire Department’s budget by $17.6 million in 2024 after backing down from $23 million in cuts, and officials ignored warnings about the threat of fire.
Getty Trust President and Chief Executive Officer Katherine E. Fleming shared LA times The staff took action as soon as they became aware of an increased fire risk.
Irrigation was immediately deployed throughout the site on Tuesday morning, and within minutes of the first sign of fire, small valves that control airflow through the museum were turned off along with the air conditioning.
In addition to the risk mitigation efforts made on the day of the fires, Getty employees have also been preparing for fires over the past year and beyond.
Ground crews have regularly cleared extensive bush over the past twelve months and any landscaping that could be susceptible to fire has been pruned.
The treetops were located far from the ground and low-lying shrubs were thinned out as much as possible.
While most of the Pacific Palisades has been reduced to ash and rubble after falling into the path of California’s devastating wildfires, the iconic Getty Museum is still standing after implementing a simple routine.
On Tuesday morning, irrigation was immediately deployed throughout the site, and within minutes of the first sign of fire, small valves that control airflow through the museum were turned off along with the air conditioning.
Fleming attributes some of the success (but not all) to luck.
“In some ways we were lucky and people were running around,” she said.
“But there were also a lot of people who thought about it very carefully over a longer period of time, and I think that clearly paid off for us.”
And while it might have been considered lucky if the wind shifted and spun the fire in a different direction, the flames were literally licking the gates of the iconic institution.
“Some trees and vegetation on the property have burned, but no buildings are on fire and the staff and collection are safe,” a Getty statement said Tuesday evening.
An extraordinary photo and video from Tuesday evening captured the moment the fire descended on the Getty, sparking fear for its 44,000 works of art and artifacts.
The fire started at 10:30 a.m. in the Palisades brush. By 10:45 a.m., airflow throughout the building had been regulated and by 11:04 a.m. staff had closed all museum doors.
At 11.15am the smoke was overwhelming and five minutes later they opted to close the Villa completely.
Pacific Palisades was all but wiped out by the devastating inferno
LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley believes the fire started accidentally in a backyard around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning
A woman looks at the charred remains of her neighborhood, wearing a mask because of the heavy smoke
A man extinguishes the fires with water after his house was set on fire
About 20 minutes later, at 11:40 a.m., security conducted a final inspection of the site to ensure the only personnel still on site were the emergency crew.
Only three hours later the fire had reached the far perimeter wall and at 3.15 pm the bushes near the open-air theater went up in flames.
Fleming remembers it looking “very bright and fiery” for a few minutes, and then the fire went out on its own.
Later she realized it was a bed of rosemary that had caught fire.
“And look, just like you sprinkle a bunch of rosemary on a pizza, put it under the broiler and it crackles and shimmers, and then goes out really quickly,” Fleming said.
Getty was not yet out of danger and at 3.59 pm another fire broke out at the pedestrian gate.
As another preventative measure, Getty Villa had additional water storage on site, which security personnel were able to use to extinguish the flames. It only took six minutes.
Even if the fire had breached the site, the museum is double-walled and built with fire-resistant limestone, cement and steel. The roofs are built with crushed stone to ensure that the embers cannot ignite anything.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Bass toured the Pacific Palisades business district on Wednesday
Debris from burned homes can be seen in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood
In addition to the risk mitigation efforts made on the day of the fires, Getty employees have been preparing for fires over the past year and beyond
In 2019, then Getty Trust vice president of communications Lisa Lapin said, “We think about fire prevention 24/7.”
The fire has now destroyed more than 17,200 hectares, and the nearby Eaton Fire has destroyed another 10,200 hectares. Both are at zero percent. Other, smaller fires are now better under control.
Mayor Bass held a press conference Thursday amid calls for her resignation, but instead said, “Rest assured, when we are safe and lives are saved, we will absolutely do a review to look at what worked and what didn’t work. , and to correct or hold to account any body, department or individual.”
Dozens of A-listers have used their social media accounts to contact Bass and the city about the response to the fires.
Sarah Michelle Geller said on her Instagram: ‘The city of LA, you want everyone to evacuate but you have a complete gridlock and not a single traffic cop on the road is helping.’
Actress Sara Foster added, “We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty.
‘Our vegetation was overgrown and the undergrowth had not been cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish.
‘Our fire brigade budget has been cut by our mayor. But thank God drug addicts get their drug kits. RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.’
Actor James Woods also criticized the mayor, blaming her and California Governor Gavin Newsom for the fire.
“This fire is not the result of ‘climate change,’ you ignorant bastard. It’s because liberal idiots like you elect liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.
“One doesn’t understand fire management and the other can’t fill the water tanks,” he wrote.