A FURIOUS wildfire has torn through the opulent mansions of Los Angeles celebrities, casting a pall of devastation as The Getty Villa was consumed by flames overnight.
In the Pacific Palisades, a community that plays host to the rich and famous, up to 30,000 panicked residents were forced to flee for their lives. Firefighters, facing an uphill battle, described the situation as the “absolute nightmare scenario”, with the blaze spiraling out of control into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The iconic Getty Villa museum, a treasure trove of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts dating back an astonishing 6,500 BC, was also caught in the inferno. Flames leaped from building to building, threatening to reduce this cultural landmark to ashes. Thankfully, Getty President Katherine Fleming provided a glimmer of hope in a statement, assuring the public that “while some trees and vegetation on the grounds of the Getty Villa had been burned by late Tuesday, the staff and the museum collection remained safe”.
