“We, of course, are very concerned for our neighbours in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the surrounding areas,” Fleming stated in a press release.
“Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year.”
Although parts of the site’s trees and plants have burnt, Fleming said that the Getty Villa collection and its employees are safe.
The villa location has additional fire safety precautions in place, including as water storage on the property and irrigation installed across the grounds earlier Tuesday.
According to Fleming, “state-of-the-art air handling systems” protected museum galleries and library archives from the smoke, and double-walled architecture further shielded the treasures.
According to the nonprofit Los Angeles Conservancy, the Getty Villa was inaugurated in 1974 by J. Paul Getty, a multibillionaire oil magnate and art collector.
