A brush fire at a construction site off Rambla Pacifico Road was quickly extinguished Thursday afternoon, after sparks from a saw ignited nearby brush in an area heavily populated with homes.
Construction workers were using an industrial skill saw to cut through rebar on a parcel where a home had recently been demolished when sparks flew into the surrounding brush, a worker said.
“We were cutting a piece of steel and a spark got into something,” said one worker who did not identify himself, gesturing to nearby brush.
The fire occurred at 3341 Rambla Pacifico Road, about a mile uphill from Pacific Coast Highway along a private access road. Firefighters from Fire Station 70 responded at approximately 1:20 p.m. and extinguished the fire, which burned an area of approximately 20 by 30 feet.
A couple of trees were burned and were being cut down by the fire department, according to Dep. Mike Treinen of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
Captain Lipp from Station 70 said there was little wind in Malibu on Thursday, otherwise the fire could have spread quickly.
“If there was wind, it could have spread up (north),” Lipp said. “It was actually a quote unquote ‘good’ spot to have it, if you could call it that.”
A fire department official said firefighters were going to draw a line around the fire to make sure there were no hot spots.