Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Evacuated: Firefighters 'Doing a Tremendous Job' Protecting It
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum was placed under mandatory evacuation on Wednesday as fast-moving flames from a new wildfire encroached.
The library’s 100-acre Simi Valley campus was circled by flames from the Easy Fire, though it has not sustained any damage thanks to first responders who have been keeping the blaze at bay, a spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
“The fire department has been doing a tremendous job with firefighters on the scene and water-dropping aircraft to keep our campus completely safe from the fires,” the spokesperson said.
Helicopters flew low above the library amid winds reaching more than 60 miles per hour, and dropped water and fire retardant on the blaze, The New York Times reported.
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The Reagan Library is home to hundreds of artifacts and interactive displays about the 40th U.S. president, and includes replicas of the White House’s Rose Garden and White House South Lawn.
It also contains the Air Force One Pavilion, which currently has the former president’s Air Force One on display, along with one of Reagan’s presidential limousines.
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The Easy Fire — one of many currently tearing through California — broke out early Wednesday near the 118 Freeway and Madera Street, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
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It has burned approximately 1,300 acres and is threatening 6,500 homes.
The state is also battling a series of other fires as Easy continues to grow, including the Getty Fire in Los Angeles and the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which has burned more than 76,000 acres since it broke out on Oct. 23, according to CalFire.
