Los Angeles Getty Center’s priceless collection braces for wildfires as evacuation order expands to museum
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The museum is considered the ‘safest place for art during a fire’. The Getty Center and Villa, museums that house some of the most priceless pieces of art in the Los Angeles area, remain stable as wildfires continue, a museum representative said in an update on Saturday.
![[A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Palisades fire on January 10]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/11/21/GettyImages-2193449495.jpg)
The villa, located in the Pacific Palisades, has been in an evacuation zone for days. The Palisades fire pushed eastward on Friday, prompting officials to expand mandatory evacuation orders into an area that encompasses the museum. Both are in affluent neighborhoods that many celebrities call home. More than 35,000 people live in Brentwood and roughly 24,000 people reside in the Pacific Palisades. Vice President Kamala Harris owns a home in Brentwood with her husband, First Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
![[The Getty Villa art museum stands undamaged after the passage of the wind-driven Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/11/23/GettyImages-2192660485.jpg)
Part of the University of California, Los Angeles is also located in the area. As of Saturday afternoon, the fire has burned more than 22,000 acres and destroyed over 5,000 structures. The cause of the blaze continues to be under investigation. It is one of four active fires impacting the county. At least 11 people have died.
Still, the Getty structures have managed to escape the flames so far. The trust’s officials were told to anticipate stronger winds later in the day. Still, Fleming ensured that the museum’s galleries “are safe and protected.”. The Getty Villa, which houses the trust’s educational center, has not been harmed, though there are a few hot spots nearby. The structure has 1 million gallons of water on-site to prevent fires from setting it ablaze.
