California Wildfire Forces LeBron to Evacuate

The Getty Fire is raging in Southern California, has shut down part of 405 freeway
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2019 12:39 PM CDT
California Wildfire Forces LeBron to Evacuate
Firefighters hose down flames as a home burns in the Getty fire area along Tigertail Road, Monday, Oct. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Wildfires are raging in California amid winds that were gusting up to 102mph in some parts of the state, and the Getty Fire, which started early Monday near Southern California's Getty Center museum, had reached more than 500 acres by mid-morning. It caused part of the 405 freeway to be shut down, and was threatening thousands of homes on Los Angeles' west side, including the pricey Brentwood neighborhood where LeBron James lives, ESPN reports. "Man these LA [fire emoji] aren’t no joke," the Los Angeles Lakers forward tweeted. "Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far!" At least 43 of California's 58 counties were under red flag warnings due to extreme fire weather as of Sunday, prompting the governor to issue a state of emergency over the weekend.

The Los Angeles Times reports that students at Brentwood's Mount St. Mary's University made a "harrowing escape" from the Getty Fire, which at one point surrounded the hillside campus, donning masks to walk down a mountainside road until ambulances were able to pick them up. At least five homes have been destroyed so far, per the Times' live updates, and more were expected to burn. About 10,000 structures are under mandatory evacuation orders, and Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that anyone told to evacuate should do so immediately, as some have had as little as 15 minutes to get out. Meanwhile in Northern California, the Kincade Fire is still burning; CBS News reports it's currently the state's largest wildfire, having grown to more than 66,000 acres and, as of Monday, just 5% contained. Cal Fire has a list of the major fires currently burning in the state. (More California wildfires stories.)

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