- The Getty Villa survived the Palisades fire, the worst in Los Angeles history.
- The villa shows how homeowners can protect their homes through construction choices and yard work.
- Anti-fire tricks include trimming low-hanging branches, installing double-pane windows, and cleaning gutters.
The Getty Villa is one of the most luxurious properties in the Pacific Palisades.
It’s a sprawling estate and museum featuring a replica of an ancient Roman villa that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Now it’s one of the sole surviving properties in its neighborhood after the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history, the Palisades fire, tore through in January.
Since then, wildfires also have ripped through South Carolina and Long Island. It’s as good a time as ever to brush up on protecting your home, and the Getty’s survival offers a few lessons.
The villa is owned by the J. Paul Getty Trust, which has the largest museum endowment in the world at more than $8 billion in 2023. Needless to say, it has more resources than the typical homeowner.
Still, the anti-fire measures at the Getty follow basic principles that people can apply in their own homes: fire-resistant construction and defensible space.
