Authorities say a small fire that burned about an acre of brush in a remote area of Encinal Canyon Saturday may have begun inside a small marijuana growing area, and could have been sparked by illegal fireworks.
“We’re determining whether or not a marijuana grow was involved. The cause of the fire was possibly illegal fireworks,” Sgt. Skikas of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said Monday in a telephone interview.
Skikas said authorities have not identified any suspects in the cause of the fire.
The fire began around 1 p.m. in a remote area off 3210 Encinal Canyon Road, and burned for more than an hour before firefighters achieved knockdown at approximately 2:43 p.m., according a City of Malibu emergency response official. No injuries or dollar loss to property were reported.
A second fire, which began at almost the same time in a gully off the southwest edge of the Point Dume Club mobilehome park on Point Dume, burned for a similar duration before firefighters achieved knockdown at approximately 3 p.m. The Malibu Times is still awaiting confirmation on the cause of that fire.
No injuries or dollar loss to property were reported in that fire.
Associate Editor Knowles Adkisson can be reached at knowles@malibutimes.com and 310-456-5507 ext. 109.
