The J Paul Getty Museum is “confident” its art collections will be protected amid the wildfires raging across the Los Angeles area.
There were fears that winds could fan the flames towards the Getty Centre, which is located in the Brentwood area and houses world-famous works including Vincent Van Gogh’s Irises.
The sweeping fires in California have killed 24 people, ravaged communities, and sent thousands frantically fleeing their properties, including areas dotted with celebrity homes.
President and chief executive of the J Paul Getty Trust Katherine Fleming told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We try to be super-responsible stewards of global cultural heritage, and don’t take at all lightly the fact that we’re holding all of these treasures.
“And consequently our facility was built to withstand the various things that this region tends to throw our way, earthquakes and forest fires or brush fires among them.
“So, yes, we’re certainly not cavalier or cocky, but we are confident.”
Opened in 1997, the Getty Centre hails itself as a “marvel of anti-fire engineering”, with its exterior walls made of travertine and the building reinforced with concrete on the inside.
Fleming said the building also has “very sophisticated air circulation systems” because the main concern is smoke damaging the collection, and sections of the gallery can be isolated if one was to be breached.
She said the threat level has been reduced in recent days, but they are conscious that the winds may change.
“Things currently look very calm – I’d say almost deceptively calm. We’ve been stepped down to an evacuation warning level two, meaning evacuation is not mandatory, we’re simply on stand-by”, she added.
“You can’t see smoke on the horizon, whereas over the past two days there were very visible large plumes of smoke to our north and to our west. But we know that the winds are coming back, and, along with it, the fire may come back as well.”
A statement issued by Fleming last week confirmed that the Getty Centre’s sister facility, the Getty Villa museum in Malibu, was “safe and intact” but that trees and vegetation on the property had been burnt.
She also expressed her appreciation for the “tireless work and dedication” by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
On Sunday, firefighters scrambled to make further progress against the wildfires as forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office has said eight of the 24 deaths were attributed to the Palisades fire and 16 resulted from the Eaton fire, the Associated Press reported.
The screening of a new Netflix series starring the Duchess of Sussex, which sees her inviting friends and famous guests to a California estate, has been postponed due to the devastation caused by the wildfires.
The eight-part series Love, Meghan, which will see the former actress share cooking, gardening and hosting tips, will now premiere on March 4 instead of January 15.
The duchess said in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix: “I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.”
She and her husband, the Duke of Sussex, hugged residents and spoke to emergency crews at a meal distribution site for people affected by the fires on Friday.
It is believed the couple have donated clothing, children’s items and other essential supplies for people affected by the fires.
Actors Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are among the Hollywood stars who have lost their homes.
US reality star Paris Hilton launched an emergency fund to support families who have been displaced, starting it with a personal donation of 100,000 US dollars (£82,000) after she watched her Malibu home “burn to the ground on live TV”.
The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, talk show host Ricki Lake, and songwriter Diane Warren have also lost properties, with reports that Sir Anthony Hopkins’ home burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades fire.
US actress Jennifer Garner was among the stars volunteering, providing food relief for evacuees and the emergency services, working alongside World Central Kitchen founder chef Jose Andres at one of the charity’s pop-up locations around California.
Rory Sykes, a British-born former child star who was blind and had cerebral palsy, also “died needlessly” in the Los Angeles wildfires, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. She told Australian TV channel Network 10 he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The fires have thrown Hollywood’s awards season into disarray, with the Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild Awards nominations among the events postponed.
