BOTTOM LINE WEATHER POINTS
– Wildfire burned at least 150 acres in the Los Angeles area.
– The Getty Center was shut down as firefighters battled blaze.
– 405 Freeway going through Sepulveda Pass shut down for hours.
– Wildfire burned at least 150 acres in the Los Angeles area.
– The Getty Center was shut down as firefighters battled blaze.
– 405 Freeway going through Sepulveda Pass shut down for hours.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Los Angeles brush fire shuts down Freeway
Another wildfire raced through the Los Angeles area early Thursday morning causing the shutdown of a major freeway and threatening one of the world’s richest art collections at the world famous Getty Center.
The fire started at about 12:50 a.m. and burned at least 150 acres west of the San Diego Freeway. The fire was two miles from the hilltop Getty Center and more than a mile from the nearest homes, according to the Associated Press.
The blaze moved south toward the Getty Center and Mount St. Mary's College, but both were "well-protected by a large number of firefighters," said Los Angeles fire spokesman Brian Humphrey.
The Getty Center, which houses one of the world's richest art collections and a research institute, was closed Thursday as a precaution, and the college canceled morning classes due to the blaze.
All lanes of the San Diego Freeway were shut down in both directions for about four hours. The four-mile long stretch of the heavily traveled freeway reopened just before the morning rush.
Authorities warned that the freeway could be closed again at any time if the fire flares up, and several onramps in the area remained closed.
The cause of the fire, which was 10 percent contained, was not known. No structures had burned and no one was injured, according to Humphrey.
More than 500 firefighters helped by 10 water-dropping helicopters were taking on the blaze, authorities said.
Despite its quick growth, the hot, dry winds that brought the fire's initial surge were diminishing, very little open flame was visible from television news helicopters and firefighters were gaining ground.
"The weather is cooperating right now," Deputy Chief Donald Frazeur said at a news conference. "If the weather doesn't pick up like is predicted we should be able to contain this without any problem."
