About 150 firefighters and a few water-dropping helicopters continued to battle a wildfire near the Getty Center on Saturday September 15, 2012. The blaze which started on Friday at around 3:30 pm had burned through over 90 acres of mountain brush. The art museum remained open on Saturday, with about 90 percent of the wildfire contained. The Getty Center had been built with fire-resistant walls, a complex sprinkler system and a back-up resevoir. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The wildfire was a result extreme dry, hot weather in southern California.
I thought it was really interesting that I read this article because we just got done playing the online game for lab exercise 1. I didn't select the wildfire game because I honestly am uncertain of the mitigation measures needed to be taken. After reading the article, I gained an understanding the kind of area where wildfires are to erupt, how quickly a fire could spread, and ways to build buildings in order to protect against wildfires. Though the Getty Center was well prepared for such an event, I'm sure there are other ways to improve. I'd be interested in looking at the evacuation routes, for example. If the building were surrounded entirely by a wildfire, how long will the sprinkler system last before the back-up resevoir is needed? Where are the closest fire stations in the area and how many are there? I think since we can't directly control the temperature, it's important to learn and understand ways to prevent any casualties from such environmental hazards/events.
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