There have been
complaints in the area about transients living in the Bluffs Park scrub area above the road. A notebook was found at the scene filled with “ramblings.”
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
In the wake of last month’s ravaging Canyon Fire, Malibu Road residents were woken up last week at approximately 3 a.m. on Tuesday to face another wall of flames as a property under construction burned to the ground. But this fire had nothing to do with power lines or Santa Anta winds. Investigators say the culprit for this blaze is arson.
“The house under construction was still in the framing stage and that means a lot of dry, combustible wood,” said Capt. Lynn Mohr of Fire Station No. 88 on Malibu Road. “It went up quickly. Ironically, it was confined to that area that was hit by the fire last January.”
The owner of the property asked not to be identified for this article. Dave Armstrong, the construction manager of the site, said that of the five structures on the beachfront property, two were destroyed.
Sgt. Donald Shively of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Arson and Explosives Division said it was established early in the investigation that the cause of the fire was arson.
“You can tell by the way in which the structures burned,” Shivley said. “They were just completely engulfed by the time the Fire Department got there.”
Shively said an arson investigation can be lengthy and painstaking because “any evidence simply burns up.” He confirmed that a notebook had been found at the scene of the fire, filled with “ramblings,” but nothing to indicate who might have started the fire or why. He said no suspects have been detained
“There is a transient camp on the hill and public access to the beach,” Shively said. “But there are a lot of people passing through the area and you can’t just go and arrest them all. Many of these people have mental health issues and can’t even talk to you reliably. Some go astray. That’s why they are there.”
Neighbors in the area have long complained about the number of transients apparently living in the Bluff Parks scrub area above Malibu Road, and local suspicion immediately centered on someone from that community.
“With public access to the beach running right through the neighborhood, anyone has access to homes down there,” said a resident who asked not to be identified.
Edris Aubrey of the private security firm Malibu Patrol said some residents are concerned about their vulnerability in a very accessible location. “We are doing lots of patrols in the area, but we haven’t seen any further activity around there,” he said.