Oh, my goodness! It is surprising that four City Council members apparently saw no reason to oppose camping in Charmlee Wilderness Park. Weren’t all four living in Malibu when some 37 homes burned to the ground as flames and embers tore through Charmlee and cascaded across Encinal Canyon Road engulfing that neighborhood and the west end of Broad Beach Road?
I would expect anyone familiar with Malibu’s fire history to recognize that overnight camping in the Coastal Zone should not be located where Santa Ana winds can carry fire toward residential areas. Precisely for that reason, Charmlee is designated a wilderness park and deed restricted.
While campers by and large are careful and responsible, just one mistake, one campfire not properly smothered, while it seems a small risk, is too great a risk to impose on the lives of downwind residents. Coral Canyon Park might be considered because, like Leo Carrillo, it’s downwind of Santa Anas, and because it is more easily accessible on all sides to fire fighters.
Sarah Dixon