Blaze Breaks Out Near Getty Center in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — Ash rained down on one of the busiest freeways in Los Angeles on Wednesday as flames engulfed homes nestled on the cliffs above it, while a much larger wildfire continued to rage out of control in the Ventura area.

Los Angeles officials said Wednesday morning that at least four homes had been destroyed near Interstate 405 and that more remained at risk.

In the exclusive Bel-Air neighborhood, the fire clogged traffic for miles in every direction, including on the narrow residential streets in the hills where many residents were ordered to evacuate. The fire itself could hardly be seen in Bel-Air, so thick was the blanket of smoke in every direction.

“These are days that break your heart,” Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles said at a news conference. “These are also days that show the resilience of our city.”

Evacuation orders covering thousands of people were in effect for parts of the city of Ventura and surrounding communities, and Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency.

The Ventura fire, which broke out Monday, had grown to 65,000 acres by Wednesday morning and continued to burn unabated, according to Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency. The fire has destroyed at least 150 structures, and possibly many more, state officials said, and 12,000 buildings were threatened. The fire forced the closure of parts of U.S. Route 101, along with many smaller roads.

Dozens of schools were closed Wednesday. In the Los Angeles Unified district, more than 50 buildings were shuttered. In the Santa Monica-Malibu district, all classes were canceled. And in Ventura County, at least 18 districts were closed. The University of California at Los Angeles campus was open, but officials said employees and students “should only come to campus if safely able until the situation is resolved.”

Chief Ralph M. Terrazas of the Los Angeles Fire Department on Wednesday said “right now we’re experiencing favorable wind conditions,” but cautioned that could change.

Abe Hagigat, 61, woke up to a call from a neighbor early Wednesday, warning that he and his family should be prepared to evacuate from their home near Bel Air. By 7:30 a.m., the family had packed their car and Hagigat stood outside watering his roof, while comparing plans with another neighbor.

Hagigat said they would wait until they received official orders to leave, just as they did during another fire several years ago. “We’ve all been through this before,” he said. “We stay calm, do what they tell us, and pray.”

His wife and daughter had filled their car with photographs. “That’s really all that really matters,” he said.

In 1961, a fire ripped through Bel Air and destroyed almost 500 homes, including many belonging to celebrities, and prompted the adoption of new fire codes, including rules about clearing brush around buildings.

The blaze Wednesday ignited before 5 a.m., and within hours grew to about 150 acres. It posed a risk of jumping across the highway, where it would threaten the Getty Center museum and the Brentwood neighborhood. David Ortiz, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said 200 firefighters were out battling the blaze.

Authorities closed the northbound lanes of the interstate, one of the major links between the bulk of the city and the San Fernando Valley, and ordered the evacuation of the area just east of the highway, from Sunset Boulevard to Mulholland Drive — a distance of almost 4 miles.

Mike and Sue Pherson, both retired educators, live just below the mandatory evacuation zone near Ventura College, but decided to leave their home Monday night and fled to Mike Pherson’s mother’s home in Port Hueneme.

“We didn’t have to leave, but we had no power and we figured we could stay up all night worried about what happens next, or we could get out now and get rest and see what the next day brings,” Mike Pherson said Wednesday, adding that he did not want to face the possibility of traffic jams while trying to get out if the situation got worse.

“Our former house up in the hills near the Ondulando area has burned down and a lot of friends we know have either lost homes or had to leave,” he said. “The fire was about a quarter mile from our house and our neighborhood is still there and neighbors are doing OK. But it’s not over yet.”

California has seen some of its most destructive fires ever this year. In October, as more than a dozen fires broke out in the northern part of the state, a separate one quickly grew in Anaheim Hills, burning through thousands of acres. The fires have collectively killed more than 40 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.