Smithsonian Magazine descrive i danni che i recenti incendi a Los Angeles hanno causato a numerosi edifici storici, tra cui il ranch di Will Rogers e il Topanga Ranch Motel, un tempo di proprietà di William Randolph Hearst. Gli incendi hanno distrutto oltre 2.000 strutture e causato la morte di cinque persone. Le autorità stanno lavorando per proteggere e preservare quanto possibile nei parchi statali colpiti.

According to a Wednesday statement by California State Parks, fires that spread through Will Rogers State Historic Park engulfed the eponymous 1930s actor’s ranch house. And blazes that swept through Topanga State Park destroyed the iconic Topanga Ranch Motel—once owned by 20th-century newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. State park employee residences at Topanga and Will Rogers parks were also razed by these blazes belonging to the Palisades Fire, which ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, west of downtown Los Angeles.

The Palisades Fire also brushed the grounds of the Getty Villa—an art museum founded by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in 1974 to house his massive collection of Classical and Renaissance works. The building itself has escaped damage so far.

“Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year,” as Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, says in a statement. These efforts included irrigating the grounds and sealing the building to keep out smoke. “Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe,” Fleming says.