It could have been much worse
Last Sunday, Oct. 21, while families slept soundly, wind gusts of up to 100 mph toppled trees like dominoes and cracked electric poles like toothpicks along Malibu Canyon Road. We had all the ingredients and perfect storm conditions for a catastrophic fire. Malibu’s “27 Miles of Natural Beauty” could have easily turned into “27 Miles of Natural Disaster.”
The fire licked the walls of Webster Elementary School and Our Lady of Malibu Church and School, but halted before burning them down to the ground. The fire seared the walls of a condominium complex where many families live, but stopped short of consuming the walls. The fire raged around Hughes Research Lab, but didn’t dare enter. The fire marched up the hill towards Pepperdine University where thousands of students and faculty live, but stopped just short of its front door. The fire surrounded the walls of City Hall, but rested at its parameters.
As brave firefighters valiantly waited to beat back the beastly fire at the ridge near Piuma, they watched in amazement. The winds, usually an enemy to be feared, became an ally to the firefighters. The fire was yearning to consume the dry fuel and rush towards the homes in Monte Nido, but the winds wouldn’t let the fire have its way. The winds even kicked dirt back upon the fire. One firefighter explained he had never seen fire act like that and exclaimed, “You don’t know how lucky you are.”
We did lose four homes, the Malibu Presbyterian Church and two commercial structures, but miraculously no one died. Compare this to the fires of 1993 in Laguna Beach and Old Topanga. In the 1993 fires, 30 people died (one firefighter lost his life in Malibu) and 4,907 structures burnt to the ground. We lost 268 homes in Malibu.
Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the fire in Malibu and throughout our sister cities in Southern California. Please know that the city will be here for you as you rebuild your homes and your lives.
We want to first congratulate our residents for an excellent job of being prepared to evacuate and for your advance adherence to brush clearance requirements. The devastation could have certainly been much greater had we not been so prepared. For this we are very proud and forever grateful. We urge you to continue to be vigilant in your emergency preparedness plans.
The City of Malibu appreciates and is eternally indebted to everyone who answered our call for help. Many people came from all over the state and country, and from all walks of life to save and help us. We are grateful for all of the brave fire fighters and deputy sheriffs, especially Deputy Harold and Deputy Chavez, CHP Officers, volunteers from the Red Cross, and the inmate workers who assisted in many ways.
We are thankful for Kirby Kotler, a volunteer from Arson Watch, who saved the lives of strangers. Raphael Lopez, a Shell station employee, who could have gone home, but chose to stay more than 38 hours straight to provide gas to everyone. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), trained by our Emergency Services Director Brad Davis, was ready, willing and able to help at a moment’s notice, and the countless others in California and the world did what they could when they could.
We cannot forget the public servants who worked tirelessly to help us all, especially Fire Chief Freeman, Fire Chief Tripp, Sheriff Lee Baca, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Susan Nissman, Assembly Member Julia Brownley, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, and Assistant Superintendent for Santa Monica School District Mike Matthews.
A special thank you must also be given to Pepperdine University and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team of professional staff, especially Billie Greer.
Thank you, Pastor Greg Hughes, and also all of the religious leaders who joined together at the Ecumenical Celebration of Life last Thursday night. You sent out the message of hope in a time of despair.
Last, but not least, Malibu City Council members Ken Kearsley, Sharon Barovsky, Andy Stern and our dedicated staff, led by City Manager Jim Thorsen, who worked tirelessly around the clock to help insure the safety and welfare of all of our citizens.
All of you went above and beyond the call of duty. You are all heroes. You are all angels. Because of you, we are safely here today.
Pamela Conley Ulich
Mayor Pro Tem, City of Malibu