What miracle saved America's Getty Museum from a terrible wildfire?

(CLO) The fact that the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, which houses valuable works of art in Los Angeles, is still standing is considered a "miracle" because it is located at the site of the most serious wildfire since January 7.

On January 7 (local time), wildfires broke out in three areas in Southern California, including Pacific Palisades, Eaton and Hurst, forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate. The fires burned down a series of Hollywood star mansions, including homes that they had been attached to for more than decades.

The Getty Villa art museum in Los Angeles was undamaged in the Los Angeles wildfires. Photo: AFP

The US media said this was the most serious fire in Los Angeles history. As of January 12, at least 24 people had died and more than 10,000 structures had been destroyed.

However, the Getty Museum of Art, home to some of the most valuable artworks in Los Angeles, remained standing with little damage, despite being directly in the path of the fire.

The museum consists of two buildings, the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, located about 10 miles apart, and houses valuable artifacts from Los Angeles. Both are located in California, where a serious wildfire has occurred since January 7.

The Getty Villa is in the Pacific Palisades area, one of the hardest hit areas, while the other is in Brentwood, an area threatened by fires, which have been under evacuation orders since last Friday.

"We are deeply grateful for the tireless efforts and dedication of the Los Angeles Fire Department and other agencies," the museum said.

Fire burns outside Getty Villa but does not damage the structure. Photo: NBC Los Angeles

Sharing with USA Today, Ms. Katherine E. Fleming - President and CEO of Getty Trust said that fire units used modern air treatment systems to protect the building.

Furthermore, the place is designed with double-walled galleries, which helps protect the precious artworks inside.

However, in addition to expensive architecture and advanced firefighting technology, museum staff also regularly clear bushes around the area throughout the year to reduce the risk of forest fires.

This is not the first time the museum has survived a fire. According to the Independent, in a 2019 post, museum officials said it was “the safest place for artworks in a fire,” after a fire that year burned more than 200 hectares to the north and west of the building.

Initial data from Cal Fire shows the Palisades Fire is the worst fire ever to hit Los Angeles.

Vegetation in Southern California thrived on more than normal rainfall over the past two winters, then withered during the drought of the past few months. The dry grass quickly caught fire, spreading the fires.

From the story of the Getty Museum of Art, Business Insider offers some tips to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Cities, fire departments, and residents can clean up dry grass around residential areas.

Homeowners can protect their property by clearing away any flammable objects within a 1.5m perimeter around their home, removing flammable materials such as plants, furniture, etc. Keeping gutters and roofs clean can also prevent small fires from spreading.

The Getty Center opened in 1997 after about 14 years of construction at a cost of $1.3 billion. The building is earthquake and fire resistant, and is considered a "wonder of fireproofing engineering." If the villa is a place to store antiques, this place is used to display more than 125,000 works of art and 1.4 million documents from the medieval to modern era. Some of the notable artifacts are Van Gogh's Irises, Édouard Manet's Jeanne (Spring) and Rembrandt's portrait An Old Man in Military Costume.

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