Latest Southern California Fire News, Forum, Information Malibu Fire San Diego Lake Arrowhead Santa Clarita Ventura CLICK HERE FOR MALIBUFIRE.ORG BLOG - UPDATES KNX News RAdio Live Radio Feed 10/23 - 7:30AM - From Hollywood Hills to East Video of Malibu Fire “Definitely deja vu, definitely not something we expected,” local officials said of the fire, which came only about a month after more than two dozen wind-whipped wildfires killed 14 people and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Southern California. “Waking up at 4 in the morning with the smell of smoke in your nose and the wind beating at the windows is something that we learn to live with here, but it always comes as something of a shock,” said Malibu Mayor Jeff Jennings. “And any time that you have a fire that claims 35 homes, it’s a disaster.” 35 homes were destroyed and 2,200 acres have been burned in the first day of the fire. “Whenever these fires are pushed by … winds, it’s a like a blow torch with a hair dryer behind it,” Inspector Sam Padilla of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. Wildfires are a greater than usual clear and present danger for about the 43% of the United States that is experiencing severe drought conditions. This includes Malibu in Southern California where a large number of Hollywood stars have homes. Being a star doesn’t reduce the risk of a catastrophic loss of property. The wildfires pushed by high winds are dangerous to the entire region. StumbleUpon It! Latest Malibu Fire News Fire update* - From LAObserved.com Sheriff's press conference: More than 22,000 acres burned, 35 houses lost. Burned homes are on Seabreeze Road, in the Malibu Bowl neighborhood, and in Latigo Canyon. Fire started on a dirt road near the Castro Peak Motor Way, where residents reported hearing a loud and boisterous party. * Alternate reports cite a downed power pole. Battle lines have been drawn to keep the fire south of the southern-most tunnel on Kanan Road, and east of Kanan Road itself. About 1,700 firefighters from throughout the county - a crew from Montebello just rolled by - are fighting the blaze. Evacuation centers: Agoura High School (28545 West Driver Avenue in Agoura Hills) and Channel Islands High School (1400 Raiders Way in Oxnard.) the view from here: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, November 24 2007 • Link • Email this post • Veronique's bio Getting better * If you're listening to fire reports on local AM radio, take their geography with a (big) grain of salt. They've got the fire all over the Malibu map and some of the info is wrong. Fire began in Malibu Bowl area. More than 2,300 acres burned thus far. Estimated 35 homes destroyed (*including home belonging to Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) with about 200 more in direct fire danger. PCH is closed to all traffic - except evacuees - between Malibu Canyon and Trancas. You can get out but you can't get back in. Kanan, Malibu Canyon and Corral Canyon roads are closed. Wind has kicked up a bit again. Smoke everywhere. Water-gathering helicopters buzz the Cove every few minutes. No visible flames from Paradise Cove. firefighters arrive in the Cove firefighters arrive in the Cove. Saturday, November 24 2007 • Link • Email this post • Veronique's bio Mandatory evacuation We've been ordered out, part of the mandatory evacuations from Corral to Point Dume. Winds have died down, air is completely still, light is completely orange. Scanner talk not alarming right now. More pix on my flickr page. second fire 030 Saturday, November 24 2007 • Link • Email this post • Veronique's bio Wind shifts, we stay put Just as the car was packed and the dogs were loaded, the wind shifted, died down a bit. Watched from the bluff as walls of flames literally doubled back on themselves at Latigo Canyon. That's where the fire is now, Latigo. Can count at least five aircraft dropping water, can see scores of fire trucks as they snake up and down the hills. Cable is out, of course, so we rely on the scanner. Scanner talk is calm and concentrated, enacting a plan clearly laid out in advance. It gives you chills to hear these voices, makes you think words like courage and valor and honor. For now, we're staying put. Here's the fire as it looked at dawn. And here's the sunrise. fire before dawn Saturday, November 24 2007 • Link • Email this post • Veronique's bio Fire is here * We are evacuating. *Not quite yet. fire before dawn Saturday, November 24 2007 • Link • Email this post • Veronique's bio 4 a.m. - fire again Fretful winds all night, kicked up hard just before dawn. Woke to the scent of smoke. Already six people at the bluff, watching the winking lights of fire trucks in Corral Canyon. A few acres burning way at the top of the road. No flames visible yet, not from the Cove, anyway. The firefighters were ready for it, had been camped out in the hills ever since the first wind warnings on Wednesday. And now we wait. See what the weather does, where the fire moves, how long this round of wind lasts.Homes and other Destroyed Strucures CLICK HERE - You Report the News - Share on our user forum Links-Veronique de Turenne How can you Help Montedito, Malibu Colony Puerco Canyon, Sweet Water Canyon, Sierra Retreat, Coral Canyon,Carbon Mesa, Rambla Pacifica Photos and Videos - Fires in Malibu Photos   Videos         Chicago Tribune     Photo from 1993 Malibu Fire     January 8,2007 - Malibu Bluffs

TimeLine of theMalibu Fire

Update 10:39 AM: Fire is in the area around Pepperdine..

Update 10:45 AM: Malibu Castle completely engulfed in flame. Photos from fire on HereInMalibu’s Flickr page.

Update 10:48 AM: Fire has crossed PCH; some homes along beach engulfed by fires sparked by embers; firefighters fighting to keep neighboring houses intact.

Update 10:49 AM: Update from HereInMalibu:

Our Lady of Malibu’s school and Webster Elementary school now both in danger.

Three homes in flames on Malibu Road.

Fire crews at the Ralphs’ shopping center, where palm trees are in flames.

Update 10:52 AM: Some brush on fire on Pepperdine campus; no structures involved on campus yet; students and staff evacuated to Cafeteria and Gym; not yet evacuated off-site. Malibu Presbyterian Church fully-engulfed. CVS Pharmacy on PCH on fire, but not engulfed. On news saw firefighters on roof.

Update 10:55 AM: From HereInMalibu

Update 10:57 AM: Inspector Ron Haralson from LA County Fire (interviewed on Channel 2) says 700 acres involved in fire; was 500 acres around 8:30 AM. Pepperdine students and Malibu residents evacuated to centers at Zuma Beach; Red Cross on site to provide assistance. No injuries reported. Three businesses; multiple residences destroyed.

We’re listening to the scanner here in Paradise Cove. Now two fronts to the fire: east side of Malibu Canyon has burned through to PCH. West front still in the hills and now headed for the sea.

Fire in Serra Retreat. Spot fires in Civic Center.

Winds 50 mph. Gusts to 108 mph.

Copters sucking water from ponds at Pepperdine, which has been evaucated.

Update 11:01 AM: From Channel 2: 200 homes evacuated; five destroyed. Additional evacuation center at Agoura Hills High School.

Update 11:05 AM: From CBS2’s Fire Fact Sheet:

ROAD CLOSURES
• Northbound Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga Canyon Road
• Southbound Pacific Coast Highway at Kanan-Dume Road
• Northbound Topanga Canyon Road at Pacific Coast Highway
• Northbound Kanan-Dume Road at Pacific Coast Highway
• Southbound Topanga Kanan-Dume at Mulholland
• Southbound Las Virgenes at Mulholland

EVACUATIONS
• Residents in Puerco Canyon

EVACUATION CENTER
An evacuation center is located near Pacific Coast Highway and Trancas.

Update 11:19 AM: From LA County Fire Dept:

Malibu Wildfire is at 0% containment now at 700+ acres. Several homes have been destroyed. Currently Evacuation Center is at Zuma Beach area, 200 homes have been evacuated.

Update 11:25 AM: Castaic fire getting larger; resources being diverted from Malibu to Castaic. At least three wildfires currently in LA County.

Update 11:29 AM: HereInMalibu still on-site; this is how close she is to the fire.

Fire now 750 acres.

No one - not even residents - now allowed through to Malibu.

Update 11:33 AM: From Pepperdine Website:

 

There is a fire in Malibu Canyon, near Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. At this time, as a precaution, all students have been relocated in Firestone Fieldhouse and faculty and staff residents have been relocated to Tyler Campus Center. Pepperdine has implemented its shelter in place plan. No campus evacuations are planned at this time.

All campus events have been canceled for today

Road Closures: Pacific Coast Hwy is closed between Topanga Canyon and Kanan-Dume Road. Malibu Canyon Road is closed at Mulholland Hwy.

Update 11:40 AM: According to LA County Fire Department, fire now at 1000 acres, still 0% contained.

Update 11:55 AM: According to HereInMalibu, fire now at 1,200 acres. LA County Fire still says 1000.

Update 12:33 PM: Press Conference with Chief Micah Freeman of LA County Fire Dept. One thousand acres burned with zero containment. Aircraft are working the East flank of the fire because wind is driving the fire in SE direction parallel to PCH. No injuries to citizens or firefighters. Two commercial structures are a total loss; three residences are a total loss; 9 additional residences with moderate to minor damage. Four businesses at Colony Creek Shopping Center sustained damage. Fire is currently moving East towards Carbon Canyon area. Fire will last for days; thousands of homes will be threatened over course of fire. Voluntary evacuations: Coral Canyon, Carbon Canyon, Carbon Mesa, and Rambla Pacifica. Mandatory evacuations: Montenido, Malibu Colony, Puerco Canyon, Sweetwater Canyon. PCH is closed between Kanan Dune Road and Topanga Canyon; Topanga Canyon at PCH and Topanga Canyon at the valley side are closed to everyone but residents.

Update 12:58 PM: I created a Google Map of Mandatory and Voluntary evacuations based on the press conference above.

Update 1:19 PM: Photos from earlier in the day from HereInMalibu:

Update 1:27 PM: From emergency.pepperdine.edu:

The Malibu area is experiencing a significant brush fire under windy conditions. At this time, no pepperdine structures have been lost although the brush fire continues to burn around portions of campus. The L.A. County Fire Department is on hand with two strike teams and continues to monitor the situation carefully. Steps have been taken to shelter and place all faculty, staff, and students in the Tyler Campus Center, Firestone Fieldhouse, and Payson Library. Conditions can change rapidly, so all faculty, staff, and students are urged to stay in the three assigned locations and stay off campus roads.

All scheduled events on the Malibu campus for Sunday, October 21 have been canceled.

Malibu Canyon is closed from Mulholland to PCH and PCH is closed between Topanga and Kanan.

Update 1:47 PM: There’s a site just created for Malibu Fire coverage: http://www.malibufires.org/ (Via HereInMalibu.)

Update 1:50 PM: MalibuFire.org’s map of the fire:

I’ve also been updating my Google Map of fire progress and evacuations and road closures.

Update 1:54 PM: LA County Fire updated their status page:

Malibu Wildfire is at 0% containment now at 1000+ acres. Several homes have been destroyed. Currently Evacuation Center is at Zuma Beach area, Firestone Field House and Agoura High School.

Mandatory Evacuations:

• Montenedo
• Malibu Rd
• Malibu Colony
• Pepperdine
• Malibu Crest
• Serra Retreet
• Big Rock

Information on Animal Evacuations are:
Large Animals (818) 991-0071 Desoto/Victory
Small Cats/Dogs evacuation location is
Agoura Shelter

Update 2:00 PM: If LA County Fire Dept. info is correct, Big Rock Road is being mandatory evacuated. That leapfrogged some voluntary evacuation notices, and appears to signal a significant move or threatened move of the fire to the East.

Information above courtesy of http://blog.sudosu.net/2007/malibu-fire/

Update 2:53 PM: More news from HereInMalibu’s scanner:

Fire moving in both directions - just dropped to the hill above the Malibu Pier and is running uphill toward Saddle Peak.

800 firefighter now in Malibu. 1,000 more on the way. Firefighters’ shift change has begun, with fresh companies relieving those who have been at work since before dawn.

Update 2:55 PM: LA County Fire says we’re now at 1200+ acres; still zero containment.

Update 2:58 PM: Pepperdine says:

Students, faculty, and staff members who were relocated to the Tyler Campus Center, Payson Library, and Firestone Fieldhouse were allowed to return to their dorms and on-campus residences around 2 p.m. All are requested not to leave campus.

The Health and Counseling Centers have relocated to the Rho parking lot and will remain open until 9 p.m. for all members of the Pepperdine community in need of their services. Flashlights will distributed throughout the Pepperdine community due to cyclical power outages.

All classes on the Malibu campus have been cancelled tomorrow, Oct. 22. Only critical support personnel should report to campus tomorrow. The Pepperdine graduate campuses outside of Malibu will be open tomorrow and classes will be held. Only critical communication systems, such as email, Internet connectivity, and telephone services, will likely be available.

This matches what I’ve been hearing about the fires around Malibu Canyon being largely out, and the main thrust of the fire now being Eastward along PCH.

Update 3:05 PM: MalibuFires.org just cut-and-pasted my entire coverage onto their front page. It’s all cool — this is about getting the information out there, not monetizing clicks.

Update 3:17 PM: Cable went out, so no more TV. I’ll try to stream something to get more reports. Verizon FIOS (obviously) still working.

Update 3:32 PM: Watching Channel 4 on streaming video now. I continue to update the Google Maps with new fire locations. Burning heavily on hills above PCH just West of Carbon Mesa road.

Update 3:35 PM: New photo from HereInMalibu:

Update 3:40 PM: Looks like the fire around Malibu Canyon is starting to burn again. So sez Channel 4.

Update 3:45 PM: MrPuffy has a bunch of photos from Saddle Peak Road looking down at the Malibu Fire. Channel 4 says 2000 acres burned; five residential structures destroyed; five commercial structures destroyed, and five residential structures damaged. Fire now appears to be moving West, says fire fighter interviewed.

Update 3:43 PM: News from HereInMalibu:

It’s been quiet for half an hour now. Absolutely no wind, but we know that can’t last. The fire burns south and east of us, zero percent contained, a hundred percent unpredictable.

Residents in the Cove are restless. We’re caught between two traffic stops - Malibu Canyon and Kanan Road. Can’t go south at all. North is iffy - you might get out, but chances of being allowed back in are slim. So we’re stuck, waiting to see what the wind will do, where the fire will go. We walk to the bluff to watch smoke waft from the cleft in the hills and wonder what piece of our sweet home town we’re losing now.

Update 3:53 PM: Updated Google Map; Voluntary Evacs changed to Mandatory. Got permission from MrPuffy to publish some shots:

UPDATE 4:01 PM: More from HereInMalibu:

And just like that, the fire heads west.

The wind kicked up again a few minutes ago, hot and strong and steady. Smoke pours out of Latigo Canyon, where planes and ‘copters swarm. Almost 4 p.m.. We’re heading into autumn dusk, an unsettling time to lose the light. Time to collect the dogs, pack the Plymouth and think about the best place to spend the night.

Update 4:14 PM: I see smoke North of me up Topanga Canyon. Not sure how that’s possible unless wind direction has shifted. Just had a water-dropping helicopter fly over my house. Getting close to hauling ass.

Update 4:21: I think the smoke I see is from the Chatsworth fire, as weather.com shows the wind coming out of the NE — which means it’s NOT blowing the fire towards me.

Update 4:40 PM: Press Conference with Zev Yaroslavsky: Mandatory evacuation of lower part of Topanga Canyon, Lower Tuna Canyon area. People in Topanga Canyon are asked to take large animals to Pierce College immediately as a precaution. Sherrif Lee Baca: Evacuated Pepperdine, central Malibu, Rambla Pacifico, Las Flores, Carbon Canyon, Big Rock have all been evacuated. Tuna Canyon is being evacuated. Ocean side (near beach) of Topanga Canyon is being evacuated.

LA County Fire Chief: Fire has consumed more than 1200 acres; they have made considerable progress. Fire is being held in Carbon Mesa/Carbon Canyon area by air drops. No air drops will made after dark. Fire still not contained. Winds will double after dark. Approximately 700 firefighters are on site; 350 additional coming in overnight. 1500 people have been evacuated. Another couple of days at least until fire is contained. Malibu Canyon road between PCH and Piuma is closed until further notice. PCH is closed between Kanaan Dune and Topanga. 5 single-family dwellings and two commercial buildings destroyed. 9 single-family dwellings damaged; 5 businesses damaged. Topanga Elementary closed tomorrow; all schools in Malibu closed tomorrow.

Update: 5:02 PM: From LA County Fire Site: School Closures Tomorrow:

Malibu HS, Malibu Middle School, Point Dune Elementary, Webster Elementary, Cabrillo Elementary

Update: 5:05 PM: Deneill took some great photos of the fire:

Update 5:08 PM: Feeling uneasy, but not yet evacuating. Fire seems to be holding firm at Carbon Canyon / Carbon Mesa. This is good, except that winds are expected to pick up at night, and the helicopters can’t drop water at night. They are performing mandatory evacuations in “Lower/Beach Side Topanga Canyon,” but I don’t really know how far that extends. I’m going to start loading up the car just in case, and getting the cat cages ready.

Update 5:43 PM: Chabad of Malibu evacuates their Torah:

Update 6:43 PM: Got the automated call asking me to evacuate. People South of Topanga Center should go south on Topanga to PCH, and then East on PCH to Pallisades High School. People North of Topanga Center (That’s me!) should head North on Topanga to the Valley, and…I didn’t really pay attention. I’m heading, cats-in-hand, to my parents house. Computer being shut down. Will update further tonight if possible.

NOTE: This is NOT a rush, panicked evacuation. We can’t see flames, and it’s probably just a precaution. Still, I said all along that when I got the voluntary evacuation notice, I would go. I’m going.