2:58 p.m. Friday: The Sweetwater Fire was 95 percent contained as of 2:58 p.m. Friday, a report from the City of Malibu confirmed.
2:24 p.m. Friday: Total acreage of the Sweetwater Fire was holding at 40 acres Friday afternoon with forward progress stopped, according to a spokesperson for the LA County Fire Department. The fire remained 60 percent contained.
As of 2:24 p.m., there remained about 200 firefighting personnel on scene mopping up the fire, though all aircraft had been released.
There remained no reported injuries or medical calls related to the blaze; the spokesperson reported there was no estimate for when the fire would be fully contained.
2:03 p.m. Friday: The fire was reported 60 percent contained as of 2:03 p.m. Friday, according to an alert sent out by the City of Malibu.
1:28 p.m. Friday: Forward progress on the fire was stopped Friday afternoon. An alert from the City of Malibu indicated the fire was 30 percent contained as of 1:24 p.m.
1:12 p.m. Friday: An alert from the Los Angeles County Fire Department indicated an estimate of 40 acres on the fire that broke out in the area of Sweetwater Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Friday morning. Containment was estimated at 12 percent.
12:46 p.m. Friday: Firefighters were “making good progress” on the 10-acre Sweetwater Fire in Malibu as of 12:45 p.m. Friday, according to LA County Fire spokesperson Austin Bennett, who spoke briefly with The Malibu Times.
There are no evacuations currently in place and Bennett confirmed there had been no reported injuries or medical calls related to the fire.
As of 12:45 p.m., there was zero percent containment of the fire, but firefighters had hoses laid on both the right and left flanks, indicating good progress.
Together with three LA County helicopters and one LA City Fire helicopter, CalFire sent two fixed-wing air tankers from Hemet in San Bernardino County, Bennett said.
12:37 p.m. Friday: The brush fire in Malibu was reported at 10 acres as of 12:36 p.m., according to reports from the City of Malibu.
12:33 p.m. Friday: Sweetwater Mesa Road will be closed for an unknown duration, per Lost Hills Sheriff Station. Pacific Coast Highway had no reported lane closures.
12:12 p.m. Friday: Conditions were “favorable” to fight the fire at Sweetwater Canyon in Malibu on Friday afternoon, according to LA County Fire Inspector Sky Cornell.
No structures at the time had been damaged and none were threatened.
“We don’t believe this fire’s going to exceed 25 acres,” Cornell told The Malibu Times on Friday around 12:12 p.m. “We don’t foresee any issues with any structures with this fire.”
Winds were sustained at 5-10 knots, meaning wind was not a major factor in the firefighting efforts.
As of 12:12 p.m. Friday, about 200 firefighters were on scene of the fire, including five total aircraft—four from LA County Fire and one from the LA City Fire Department.
12:04 p.m. Friday: LA County Fire has requested more air support.
11:51 a.m. Friday: The fire reported in the Sweetwater Canyon area of Malibu—more accurately described as above Pacific Coast Highway near the Malibu Pier—is now a second-alarm blaze, with two fixed-wing aircraft requested, per LA County Fire.
11:44 a.m. Friday: The reported brush fire above the Malibu Civic Center near Sweetwater Canyon Road was estimated at about three acres and moving uphill, according to revised estimates from the LA County Fire Department.
11:33 a.m. Friday: A brush fire measuring about 50 x 200 feet was reported near Sweetwater Mesa above the Malibu Civic Center on Friday morning, Aug. 30.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a plume of smoke past the ridge line above the Malibu Chili Cook-Off site around 11:15 a.m.
According to initial reports from the LA County Fire Department, the fire had “moderate spread” as of 11:32 a.m. with no structures threatened.
Wind speed in the Malibu Hills was measured at eight miles per hour around midday Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with 55 percent humidity at 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
