A state of emergency has been declared in California due to the rapidly spreading Palisades Fire, which reached the grounds of the Getty Villa museum. While the museum itself is not on fire, firefighters are actively defending the structure.
Gov. Gavin News om early this evening declared a state of emergency to further support the communities impacted by this fire, his office said in a statement. The proclamation seeks to ease the use of local government resources while it also empowers the governor to call up the National Guard if necessary. Earlier, News om announced that his request for emergency federal funds that would cover 75% of local firefighting costs related to the Palisades Fire had been approved.
Despite ominous imagery from the scene, the Los Angeles Fire Department said this evening that flames have reached the famed Getty Villa property but the museum is not on fire. Firefighters were defending the structure as the Palisades Fire continued to spread amid winds of greater than 50 mph, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart said. 'The Villa itself is not burning, but vegetation around the building is burning,' she said.'The structure is not damaged.' In a statement just after 5 p.m., the Getty Villa Museum and Getty Center said flames reached the grounds on the coast in Pacific Palisades. 'Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe,' spokesperson Alexandria Sivak said in the statement. Citing brush clearance and construction, the institution expressed some confidence the Villa, which houses Greet and Roman antiquities, would survive. 'Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems,' Sivak said.'The double-walled construction of the galleries also provides significant protection for the collections.'Stephanie Libonati was at home in Pacific Palisades this morning when she glanced out the window. “I just saw smoke and some orange and red flames — and I screamed, ‘Fire, fire, we have to go,’” said Libonati, who said she believes she was one of the first to call authorities about the fire.“It was just moving so fast,” Libonati said of the flame
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE GAVIN NEWSOM GETTY VILLA PACIFIC PALISADES STATE OF EMERGENCY
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