The Getty Fire that broke out overnight into Monday morning recalled a similar fire in 2017, the Skirball Fire, which was started in a homeless encampment, destroying several homes and threatening the Getty Center museum.
The Skirball fire damaged several homes in the Bel Air neighborhood, shut down the 405 freeway — the busiest highway in the U.S. — and forced nearby schools to close for days due to unsafe levels of smoke. The Getty Center’s art collection was not evacuated, however, due to design features in the hilltop building that withstand fire.
The new Getty Fire likewise has forced the closure of some southbound roads. Officials have also ordered the mandatory evacuation of several neighborhoods to the west of the fire. Residents in a wider area received alerts at roughly 2:45 a.m. advising them to prepare to evacuate if necessary. Firefighters said the Getty Center itself was not threatened. (A spot fire on the Getty Center property was later reported.)
Los Angeles officials determined that the Skirball fire was not deliberately set, but was caused by a cooking fire, which spread rapidly in high winds. At the time, many said the city had to take action against the spread of homelessness.
However, in the two years since then, the population of homeless people in Los Angeles has surged, rising 12 percent from 2018 to 2019.
The cause of the Getty Fire is not yet known.
The Skirball fire was also notable for the first use of drones by L.A. firefighters.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.