Getty Fire Forward Progress Stopped at 25 Acres; Evacuation Warnings Lifted

Both evacuation-warning zones have been lifted

LOS ANGELES — Incident command lifted both evacuation warnings for the Getty Fire after firefighters stopped the blaze's forward progress Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced.

Genasys zones LFD-0895 and LFD-0967 have returned to normal status, according to LAFD. The zones had covered portions of the Getty, Westgate Heights and Brentwood Heights areas west of Interstate 405.

A lifted warning means residents are no longer being told to prepare to evacuate under that incident notice. It does not mean the fire is fully contained or that crews have left the scene; LAFD said firefighters would continue working until full containment is declared.

Forward progress stopped at 6:12 p.m. after approximately 25 acres burned

LAFD said forward progress stopped at 6:12 p.m. with an estimated 25 total acres burned. That operational milestone means firefighters halted the active outward spread reported at that time; it is not the same as full containment or final acreage mapping.

The incident began near the northbound 405 at approximately 4:17 p.m. LAFD initially estimated five acres, increased the estimate to 20 acres at 5:49 p.m. and then reported the 25-acre total when forward progress stopped.

ABC7 independently reported the approximately 25-acre estimate and said the fire's forward progress had been stopped. Acreage may still be revised after more precise mapping, so the figure should be treated as the current official estimate rather than a surveyed final perimeter.

Getty says its visitors and staff were evacuated and its collections were safe

A Getty spokesperson told ABC7 and FOX 11 that visitors and staff were evacuated from the Getty Center and that the art and collections were safe. The institution said it was working with the fire department to monitor conditions.

ABC7 reported that Interstate 405 lanes remained open while firefighters attacked the hillside. Drivers should still check Caltrans and emergency alerts before traveling through the Sepulveda Pass because lane conditions can change during mop-up operations.

The Getty Center is a large public institution at 1200 Getty Center Drive. Its evacuation is a significant protective action, but it does not establish that the buildings or collections were damaged. No such damage was reported in the reviewed official updates.

Ground crews and aircraft attacked the brush fire

LAFD said approximately 185 department members remained on scene for mop-up and containment operations when forward progress was stopped. Los Angeles County Fire, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Los Angeles police also assisted.

LAFD requested additional hand crews and air resources after the fire was reported. ABC7 and FOX 11 reported water-dropping helicopters working above the hillside.

FOX 11 reported that fire officials did not consider the blaze wind-driven. The fire nevertheless developed during dangerously hot Southern California weather, conditions that can increase strain on residents and responders even without strong winds.

LAFD had not declared full containment in its warning-lift notice. Stopping forward progress and lifting evacuation warnings are significant improvements, but neither should be translated into a containment percentage that the responsible agency has not published.

What remains unconfirmed

The cause remained under investigation. The reviewed official pages did not announce a confirmed injury, structural loss, arrest or finding about how the fire started.

LAFD's initial alert said no structures were threatened at that time, and later local reports said no structures were believed to be immediately threatened. The reviewed updates did not announce a confirmed structure loss.

Residents should rely on CAL FIRE, LAFD and official evacuation mapping for immediate instructions. Do not enter closed areas, stop on freeway shoulders to record video or interfere with aircraft and ground crews.

About the image

The accompanying image is an authentic April 17, 2012 file photograph showing southbound traffic on Interstate 405 with the Getty Center visible on the hillside. It provides precise location context but shows no fire or smoke and does not depict the September 9, 2026 Getty Fire, evacuations or responding crews.

Clotee Pridgen Allochuku licensed the photograph under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 through Wikimedia Commons. Its use does not imply endorsement by the photographer, Getty, LAFD, CAL FIRE or Wikimedia Commons.