School, college and other closings for Monday

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Already facing dangerous wildfires across California, including a little-contained blaze ravaging tens of thousands of acres in the north, the state's firefighters are now dealing with a new threat much farther south. The 

, which ignited before dawn Monday in the hills north of Los Angeles, has ridden high winds to consume some 500 acres of land so far.

"We have over 500 firefighters on the line right now, in some of the most challenging topography of Los Angeles," Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a 

 Monday. He said the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. PT, adjacent to Interstate 405 — the 

 the southbound lanes of a significant chunk of the 405 freeway Monday morning, and local authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations for an area encompassing some 10,000 structures. Social media 

 posts from residents telling of being rousted from their homes in the morning's wee hours — including, it appears, Los Angeles Laker 


The Getty Center, the museum in the area for which the fire is named, said Monday that it 

 from the blaze — even if it is cloaked in the fire's eerie orange hues.



Roughly 450 miles to the northwest, another much more entrenched wildfire is blazing through parts of Sonoma County. The 

, which has burned since Wednesday evening, 

 had consumed some 66,000 acres of land and destroyed around 100 structures, with more than 4,000 fire personnel assigned to fight it.



Despite raging for nearly five days, the Kincade Fire remains just 5 percent contained. Cal Fire blames the difficulties on "critical fire weather conditions" in the area: high winds up to 50 mph, low humidity and steep terrain that limits firefighters' access.


The Kincade Fire has forced the evacuation of 

So far, there have been no reports of casualties in either fire.


Still, even before the ignition of the Getty Fire early Monday, the sheer scale and number of wildfires confronting California — including Santa Clarita's 

Newsom says the state has secured funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help fight the Getty Fire as well.


"California is grateful for the ongoing support as we battle fires up and down the state in extremely severe weather conditions," Newsom said in a statement on Monday. He added, "I thank our heroic emergency responders and volunteers for their tireless, life-saving work to safeguard communities across the state."


Disasters

Colin Dwyer

Author

The Getty wildfire erupted overnight, partially closing Interstate 405 — the nation's busiest freeway. But that's not California's only worry, as the Kincade fire continues to menace Sonoma County.

Getty fire threatens homes, snarls traffic in L.A.

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