Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades has grown to nearly 20,000 acres on Thursday.

The blaze began shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather service warned could be the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade.

The Getty Villa activated its emergency operations center at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, and within two hours, the fast-moving blaze had reached the grounds. Here's how the staff, museum and precious art were kept safe.

The Getty Villa Museum, just a few miles from the Getty Center, is now "catching on fire," according to sources monitoring the fire.

Among the residents who call the area home are Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Eugene Levy, Michael Mann and Kathleen Kennedy. Meanwhile, several Hollywood events have been canceled, including premieres for 'Better Man,

A brush fire broke out Tuesday near the Pacific Palisades, a coastal neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, and quickly exploded.