Pacific Palisades wildfire forces thousands to flee California homes; museum closes
A brush fire that broke out in Southern California Tuesday afternoon is putting 200 acres with structures under "immediate threat."
A large brush fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in Pacific Palisades, prompting mandatory evacuations and highway closures.
Nearly 200 acres of buildings and homes are "under immediate threat," as of 3:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
One of those on high alert is the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades off Pacific Coast Highway.
RECORD FIRE IN CALIFORNIA BURNS HUNDREDS OF ACRES, FORCES EVACUATIONS, INJURES MULTIPLE FIREFIGHTERS
Getty spokesperson Alexandria Sivak told Fox News Digital the Getty Villa is now closed to non-emergency staff.
"It is already closed to the public on Tuesdays, so there were no [members of the] public on site," Sivak said. "The villa site is currently safe, and we are in ongoing contact with LAFD and closely monitoring the situation."
There are mandatory evacuation orders in place from Merrimac Road west to Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and south to Pacific Coast Highway.
An evacuation center has been opened at Westwood Recreation Center, located at 1350 South Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles.
A fire that started at about 1:30 p.m. near Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives quickly escalated by 2 p.m., with nearly 20 acres burned, according to the department.
The fire impacted roughly 200 acres by 3 p.m., demolishing several buildings in the Pacific Palisades Highlands.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned of a "life-threatening and dangerous windstorm" rolling through the area late Tuesday through Wednesday. Red flag warnings are expected to remain in place until Thursday evening.
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