Wildfire forces residents, celebrities to flee

Helicopters beat the air, and the buzz of chain saws echoed from the canyons. Hills were charred black, and in some places, white ash was all that remained.

The fire shut down southbound lanes of Interstate 405, a major commuting corridor and the route to Los Angeles International Airport from the San Fernando Valley.

The Getty, with its collection of priceless art, was not threatened, fire officials said. The museum gave assurances that its artworks are protected by state-of-the-art technology.

But Mount St. Mary's University evacuated 450 students from its nearby campus. And the University of California, Los Angeles, canceled classes — not because of any direct threat from the flames but because of disruptions caused by the fire.

Similarly in Northern California, some 40 school districts in Sonoma County canceled classes, as did the University of California, Berkeley, which had no power because of the outages.

With no rain and more wind in the forecast, the coming days could be grim.

"This is when we have the most potential for large and damaging fires," said Thom Porter, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "All of California is in play right now."

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the weekend.

The biggest evacuation was in Sonoma County, where some people who packed up and fled had done so two years ago, when devastating wildfires swept through the region, killing 44 people.

At an evacuation center at Napa Valley College, 15-year-old Francisco Alvarado said he, two younger brothers and his parents decided to leave their Calistoga home ahead of evacuation orders. Two years ago, the family had to flee in the middle of the night.

"I'm pretty mad that we have to keep evacuating," he said. "I just want to be home. I'm trying to leave here tomorrow. I want to sleep in my bed."

AP