All evacuation warnings around Brentwood were lifted as crews got the upper hand on a wildfire that broke out Wednesday afternoon along Highway 405, threatening homes, a college campus and the Getty Center. The fire, called the Getty Fire, grew to about 25 acres before progress was stopped shortly after 6 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire was reported around 4:30 p.m. and appeared to have started near the parking lot of the Getty Center at 1200 Getty Center Drive, the Fire Department said. By about 5:30 pm, it had grown to 20 acres. The fire prompted the closure of the Getty Center, which will remain closed Thursday to give firefighters easier access to the area, the center said in a post on X. The Getty Villa, located about 10 miles from the Getty Center in Pacific Palisades, was not affected by the fire and will be open normal hours. Aerial footage showed flames burning along a hillside. Firefighters were fighting the fire by ground and air. Around 6:30 p.m., the Fire Department reported that ground crews had moved forward, working through heavy smoke and steep brush on the west side of Highway 405 as planes continued to drop water. No injuries or damaged homes were reported, authorities said. The Fire Department issued evacuation warnings for two areas near the Getty Center, spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz said. The evacuation area was roughly bounded by Promontory Road to the north, Sunset Boulevard to the south, Highway 405 to the east, and Bundy Drive to the west. The warning covered the Getty Center and Mount Saint Mary University. Around 8:40 p.m., authorities announced that they had lifted both warnings, although crews were required to remain on scene until the fire was completely contained. The fire occurred as temperatures across large swaths of Southern California rose more than 100 degrees, with temperatures 5 to 10 degrees warmer due to high humidity, according to the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on X earlier in the day that she had been in contact with fire personnel and that the Los Angeles Police Department was ready to assist firefighters with evacuations if necessary. Debbie Ream, a spokesperson for Mount Saint Mary’s University, said the school’s Chalon campus for undergraduates canceled in-person classes around 5:30 p.m. The campus is near the Getty Museum and was within an evacuation warning zone. 400 students living on campus are preparing to shelter in place, Ream said. The fire along Sepulveda Pass did not appear to affect traffic on the 405 Freeway. In January 2025, a fire broke out in the same area amid red flag warnings. The fire burned 40 acres and forced authorities to briefly close the highway. Times staff writer Sandra McDonald contributed to this report.
