Fire on the Getty Villa grounds, museum is safe

[robinjojo]

There's been a major outbreak of wildfires in northern parts of LA County, specifically the San Fernando Valley and the mountains to the north and west.  The Pacific Palisades has been hard hit.  The Getty Villa, which houses a major collection of artifacts and coins is safe and intact.  The grounds surrounding the villa have sustained damage, but it is hard to determine the extent currently.

Here's a link for the latest status of the villa:

 https://abc7.com/post/getty-villa-safe-intact-palisades-fire-museum-officials-say/15778154/

 

[DonnaML]

I have read in the past that the Getty Villa has made substantial efforts, and spent a great deal of money, to protect the premises and contents from fire.  It may be one of the safest places in the entire area.

[robinjojo]

I also learned that Getty Villa has an air filtration system that is keeping the smoke, which is very thick, from entering the museum thereby protecting the exhibits and staff.

[Al Kowsky]

In 1985 I went to LA to visit my sister Barbara, nephew Glenn, & niece Liz. The highlight of the visit was a tour of the Getty Museum 😃. The collection of artifacts on display was breathtaking, to say the least 😲! We spent the better part of the day walking around the exhibits until are feet were sore 🤤. I took a photo of Barbara, pictured below, on the outside grounds that were styled like a wealthy Roman estate 😍. There is nothing in the world to compare with the Getty Villa. Hopefully they can contain the damage to a minimum. Despite the beauty & grandeur of CA, it's a dangerous place to live. In the early 1970s I lived in Santa Barbara, CA, & the fires & floods were an ongoing phenomenon 😣.

[jdmKY]

My visit to the Getty in 2018. It’s an absolute jewel! We did however see massive destruction in the area from the Woolsey Fire one month earlier. Vast swaths of land were completely burned, especially in Malibu, but that one did not get near the Villa.

 

[robinjojo]

Here's an update from the LA Times:

Inside the dash to save the Getty Villa from the Palisades fire: a timeline

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-09/inside-the-dash-to-save-the-getty-villa-from-the-palisades-fire

 

[Al Kowsky]

1 hour ago, jdmKY said:

My visit to the Getty in 2018. It’s an absolute jewel! We did however see massive destruction in the area from the Woolsey Fire one month earlier. Vast swaths of land were completely burned, especially in Malibu, but that one did not get near the Villa.

 

Great photos 🤩!

[Al Kowsky]

16 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

Here's an update from the LA Times:

Inside the dash to save the Getty Villa from the Palisades fire: a timeline

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-09/inside-the-dash-to-save-the-getty-villa-from-the-palisades-fire

 

It seems that the Getty Villa employees have done as much as possible to keep everything safe 😉. I just spoke to my nephew Glenn, who works as a special effects artist-technician in LA for the movie makers, & he is biting his nails 😟. A tech who works with him watched his home go up in flames yesterday 😮. To make matters worse, fire fighters are running out of water to fight the flames 😖. 

[robinjojo]

Yes, I heard that some fire hydrants had little or no water due to the tremendous drop in water pressure brought on by the demand to combat wildfires on multiple fronts. Given the scope of the disaster, wind-driven wildfires in an urban setting, no municipal water system would be able to cope with the onslaught. 

There has been little rain in the LA area this winter which, combined with dense vegetation from the previous winter's rains, very low humidity and hurricane force Santa Ana winds, made for the perfect storm.

Edited January 10 by robinjojo