Thousands flee as fire near Getty Center in Los Angeles torches homes

A wind-driven brush fire tore through hillside communities on the west side of Los Angeles on Monday, burning homes and prompting widespread evacuations.

The Getty Fire broke out shortly after 1:30 a.m. along Interstate 405 near the Getty Center and spread to the south and west toward neighborhoods, rapidly burning more than 600 acres and sending people fleeing from their homes in the dark. About 10,000 structures were placed under mandatory evacuation orders.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said despite firefighters’ efforts, at least five homes, including some on Tigertail Road, have been damaged in the blaze. That number likely was expected to climb.

Mayor Eric Garcetti urged residents to leave if they are under mandatory evacuation orders, saying some have had only 15 minutes to flee as the flames approached.

With conditions of high winds and low humidity whistling through dense chaparral and neighborhoods, emergency crews found themselves fighting fires along several rugged fronts.

It was Los Angeles County firefighter Norman Queen’s job to keep a close eye on the fire behavior on the far side of a narrow canyon where a hand crew was cutting a line across areas doused with water dropped by helicopters and aircraft.

“Without those water drops, this fire would be completely out of control,” Queen said. “They’ve kept things cool enough to get boots on the ground.”

The blaze did some of its most serious damage along Tigertail Road, where elaborate outdoor Halloween displays of skeletons and pumpkin goblins stood like eerie sentinels as firefighters battled fires at homes in the affluent enclave that was cloaked in smoke.

It was still dark on Tigertail Road when firefighters used hoses to douse hot spots smoldering near homes, sending...