- The Getty Villa survived the Pacific Palisades fire due to its anti-fire construction and technology.
- The museum’s staff also spent days protecting the property and its artifacts from flames and smoke.
- Photos from the Getty Villa after the fire show what it takes to keep an at-risk estate safe.
When fire razed the Pacific Palisades in January, the Getty Villa proved itself to be a practically impenetrable anti-fire fortress.
Built like a fortress and outfitted with state-of-the-art firefighting infrastructure, this museum and ancient-Roman-estate replica remained standing as nearby homes burned down.
The facility’s emergency preparedness specialist, Les Borsay, gave Business Insider a tour of the villa just weeks after he and a team of about 17 employees fought the flames encroaching on the property.
“It’s not luck that this place is still here,” he said.
In an era of mega-fires that can threaten urban areas like Los Angeles, the Getty Villa shows what it takes to keep an at-risk estate safe.
