An online petition has been started to ban overnight camping in Malibu’s Corral Canyon. The petition, posted on change.org by a group called the Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance, asks the City of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to prohibit overnight camping in Corral Canyon and other high-risk fire areas because of public safety concerns. As of press time Tuesday, the petition had 602 signatures.
The Corral Canyon group backing the petition says the combination of dry brush and strong winds creates the opportunity for fires to spread quickly. They cite the 2007 Corral Canyon fire, which destroyed 53 homes and was caused by a campfire, as one of the motivations for the petition.
“For any group to allow camping in known high-risk fire areas would be irresponsible from both a civic and a liability position,” the Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance wrote.
The petition also comes in the wake of a controversial proposal to allow overnight camping at Charmlee Wilderness Park. The proposal, from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, would create eight campsites at the local park.