Firefighters are battling yet another wildfire in Southern California, in addition to the three other major fires burning in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
This fire, known as the Skirball Fire (also being called the Bel Air Fire) is located in Los Angeles and has burned 150 acres along with four to six structures, according to the Los Angeles Times. Northbound Interstate 405 has been closed from the 10 Freeway to the 101 Freeway.
Where is the Skirball fire?
The fire broke out at around 5 am Wednesday morning along the 405 at Mulholland Drive, Southern California Public Radio’s 89.3 KPCC reports.
The map below shows active fires in California state, using information taken from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
The Skirball fire, in West Los Angeles County, is threatening the posh neighborhoods Bel Air and Mandeville Canyon.
Who is affected?
Currently there are evacuations in place for “all homes between Mulholland Drive on the north, Sunset Boulevard on the south, Roscomare Road on the east and the 405 Freeway on the west,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Earlier in the morning, authorities ordered evacuations along Casiano Road, Moraga Drive and Linda Flora Drive.
The Getty Center, a major art museum in West Los Angeles that is near the fire, has been closed to visitors. “We have very sophisticated air filtration systems that keeps smoke from invading the galleries and protecting the art,” Ron Hartwig, the Getty’s vice president of communications told radio station KPCC, “But obviously heavy traffic in and out of the galleries, opening and shutting the doors, compromises that system, and that’s why the decision was made to close to the public.”
Bel Air and Mandeville Canyon, two neighborhoods threatened by the fire, are home to many power players in Hollywood, as The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Lachlan Murdoch, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Dre all have homes in Mandeville Canyon, according to THR, and Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston own homes in Bel Air.
The fire is less than five miles from University of California, Los Angeles. Students and faculty not already the Westwood campus are being asked to stay home.
“Except for UCLA Health, all other staff, faculty and students who are off campus should not attempt to come to campus until the situation is resolved,” UCLA’s Twitter account said. “Classes are optional and students should check with their instructors.”
The map below, from the Los Angeles Fire Department, shows the evacuation area and evacuation sites:
Evacuation Centers
An evacuation center has been set up at the Barrington Recreation Center. There are also evacuations centers at Westwood Recreation Center, Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, Delano Recreation Center and Balboa Recreation Center in Van Nuys, and Sherman Oaks Recreation Center.