Fire authorities extinguished a small brush fire in Malibu Canyon Sunday afternoon after dry conditions apparently sparked logs near Tapia Park, authorities said. The fire was small and was quickly extinguished.
A Los Angeles County Fire Department arson unit investigated the fire at about 2 p.m. Monday, concluding that a “warming fire” ignited a couple of logs, said Fire Captain Derek Bart of Fire Station 65.
In this particular instance, Bart said a warming fire is where logs appeared to warm in dry conditions and then caught on fire. The Malibu area has been under a Red Flag Warning due to extremely dry temperatures and low humidities recently, increasing the chances of such fires.
However, wind speeds were not high at the time of the fire, which limited its scope.
“Had the winds been there it would have been terrible,” Bart said.
Malibu and surrounding areas have seen little rainfall in the past two years and are very dry due to the high winds and low humidity percentages. Bart said the dryness has increased the normal potential for fires.
“This is one of the worst seasons we’ve had on record,” Bart said.
With fire danger high, the fire department has moved in additional staff and resources into the area.
“We are fortunate to have so many extra hands on staff,” Bart said.