Getty Fire

The fire is believed to have started around 1:35 AM in the 1800 block of North Sepulveda Drive when a tree branch that broke off and subsequently landed in nearby powerlines during high wind conditions causing them to spark and arc - igniting nearby brush.[2]

At its height of operations, over 1,000 firefighters along with Aerial firefighting fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, worked in very challenging terrain. Spurred on by the notorious Santa Ana winds, firefighters battled 50+ MPH winds as they fought the blaze. Flames quickly moved west, racing down the canyons and licking brush alongside the Interstate 405 Freeway, triggering a full closure of the southbound lanes. The Getty Center — which was built to withstand fires and where firefighters were stationed to assist with logistics for helicopter operations — was never threatened.[3]

Evacuations were ordered for multiple neighborhoods as the fire progressed, although some were allowed back into their homes after only a few days.[4] The UCLA campus, which is located about 2 miles from the fire, cancelled classes for 45,000 students, and some twenty elementary and secondary schools closed as well.[5]

Anger was seen by some reporters after it was discovered that some of the more affluent neighborhoods that had been ordered to evacuate, still had gardeners, housekeepers and other domestic workers reporting for duty. Many had reportedly not been told by their employers about the mandatory evacuations and had no idea that the neighborhoods had no one in them.[6]