Malibu fire update 2:15 p.m. Wednesday
By Jonathan Friedman and Laura Tate / The Malibu Times
Temporary power outages will occur in the Civic Center area and surrounding neighborhoods, including Malibu Colony, due to Southern California Edison working on power lines on Malibu Canyon Road.
There is still no power at City Hall, which is running on a generator, and no power is available in the Serra Retreat neighborhood. A maintenance power outage by Edison scheduled for Thursday, midnight through 4 a.m. has been cancelled.
The Malibu fire, which has scorched up 4,500 acres is 80 percent contained. Full containment is expected by this evening.
Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Andrew Olvera said that there are still some “small smoldering piles” in the Rambla Pacifico area.
“We’re going to have crews here up to two weeks from now patrolling and working the area,” Olvera said this morning.
A community meeting took place last night at Malibu High School. Several hundred people attended, and listened to information from city, fire and law enforcement officials. The meeting began with tones of thanks with many people applauding the fire officials for their work. But the atmosphere soon became hostile when a representative from Charter Communications spoke about the downed cable lines. Fred T. Lutz, vice president/general manager of Charter’s Southern California Operations fielded many questions from angry customers.
Another community meeting will take place today at 7 p.m. at the Agoura/Calabasas Community Center, located at 27040 Malibu Hills Rd, Calabasas.
Pacific Coast Highway is now open in both directions Road closures remain at:
-Malibu Canyon from Civic Center Way to Piuma Road
-Kanan is now closed to through traffic due to an accident
-PCH is closed at Kanan
-Schueren Road from south of Saddle Peak and Stunt
-Piuma Road at Schueren Road
-Saddle Peak east of Schueren
-Saddle Peak at Tuna Canyon Road
Mandatory evacuations are still in effect at Carbon Canyon, Carbon Mesa, Las Flores Canyon, Rambla Pacifico, Top of Piuma and Schueren Road. A fire official said people are not being forced out of those areas, but they are not allowed into them.
Charter Cable is now functioning. Power has been restored to most areas, although City Hall is still operating on a generator.
Malibu High School, Point Dume Elementary School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School are open today. Webster Elementary School will not re-open until Monday. Our Lady of Malibu School is not expected to re-open until Monday, or possibly later.
A SuperShabbos event at Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue has been postponed. A special service will take place at the center Friday evening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The fire has destroyed six homes, Malibu Presbyterian Church, Malibu Glass and Mirror, the trailer at Malibu Colony Plaza and two outbuildings. Thirteen homes have been damaged, as well as six commercial businesses, three outbuildings and two classrooms at Our Lady of Malibu School.
Path of destruction
The fire that ignited at approximately 4:55 a.m. Sunday raged through Malibu Canyon and down to Pacific Coast Highway, destroying the famous Castle Kashan and the Malibu Presbyterian Church, as well as four more Malibu homes. Five businesses at the Malibu Colony Shopping Plaza were reported damaged, and the Malibu Glass Company was destroyed.
Reportedly sparked by power lines downed by 80 mph winds, the fire known as the “Canyon Fire” has scorched up 4,500 acres and is now 75 percent contained.
No deaths have been reported. A firefighter was treated for dehydration. Two Pepperdine University employees were treated for smoke inhalation at the Malibu Urgent Care Center.
The firefight has included 247 engines, 14 hand crews, two dozers, four water tenders, two fixed wing aircraft and 14 helicopters and at one point up to 1,700 firefighters. The fire suppression as of Wednesday morning has cost $4.2 million.
The fire chief strongly recommended that all residents heed the requests by law enforcement to evacuate.
Approximately 1,500 people from 500 homes have evacuated.
On Sunday, those who had not left Malibu remained to contemplate the damage.
Mike Figueroa, a caretaker for a home on Carbon Beach said, “Wow, I’ve seen fires, but not this close up. It’s not so much frightening as it is hectic and chaotic.”
Topanga Canyon resident Paul Williamson, who was visiting a friend in Malibu, said he had been riding his bike around the city all day. “It’s very intense,” he said. “I’m a little nervous about it going to Topanga. There’s always nervousness, especially since the fire appears to be swirling around with no direction.”
The city’s streets, roads and highway in the afternoon were eerily empty, with only Sheriff’s patrol cars, fire department engines and media roaming the city.
A group of Pepperdine students had “sort of snuck out” of the university and were found sitting on top of a car watching the fire. They had been spent the better part of the morning driving along Pacific Coast Highway.
“There were burning cars,” said freshman Richard Shaw. “It looked like a war zone.”
He continued, “I’m from New York and this is the wildest thing I’ve ever seen. The only thing we [New York City] have are structure fires. This is mind-boggling”
Power is out in many portions of Malibu, including City Hall. The city’s Emergency Operation Center has been set up at Pepperdine University.
“It’s unpredictable,” said Councilmember Andy Stern, “And when you hear Chief Freeman say it’s ‘zero contained,’ that’s frightening.”
There were reports that the Malibu Coast Animal Hospital at Legacy Park on Pacific Coast Highway had burned down, but Dr. Dean Graulich, in a radio interview, said that it was an old unused clinic that had been destroyed. All animals at the operative hospital were evacuated at approximately 6 a.m. and were taken to his home where, Graulich said, “the dogs were running around” completely happy.”
The fire completely consumed “Castle Kashan” owned by Lilly Lawrence. Dr. Thomas Hodges built the 15,200-square-foot castle, which sits atop a bluff off Malibu Crest Road near the Malibu Presbyterian Church.
Lawrence, the daughter of a former Prime Minister of Oil of Iran, has opened her home to various charitable events throughout the years and the castle was filled with irreplaceable artifacts, including a chandelier reportedly valued at $1 million, an extensive collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia, as well as memorabilia from the Dalai Lama and Princess Diana.
The castle, which was on the market for $17 million, sits just above the Malibu Civic Center.
Malibu Township Council President Jefferson Wagner, who is a licensed pyrotechnic and special effects person and was on the scene at Carbon Canyon, said this afternoon that he has been “chipping in” and spot checking for further flames.
“This is evidence of why the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy parks plan needs to be reviewed,” Wagner said, “And truly most people will believe that after seeing how this thing can jump around and cause damage.”
(Some Malibu residents have hotly contested the SMMC parks plan, as it proposes overnight camping in several areas of Malibu, including Ramirez Canyon and Charmlee Wilderness parks, which opponents to the plan say is dangerous because of fire risk.)
Confusion reigned at Pepperdine University when a rumor was sparked that faculty was evacuated but not the students. A spokesperson from the university said the rumor was untrue and said all students and faculty members are safe. They were given facemasks because of the heavy smoke. Jerry Dersholon, public relations director for Pepperdine University, said all students were allowed to return to their dorms or homes around 3 p.m. He said there would be no classes on campus Monday.
Several Malibu residents were quoted on Channel 4 News saying that they “smelled fire” before the 5 a.m. outbreak, but were told by local fire stations there was “nothing to worry about,” according to one woman interviewed on camera. She said she is not permitted to return to her home, as one pocket of fire is burning directly behind her apartment building.
Photos of the fire can be seen at https://malibutimes.com/gallery/. Readers may submit photos at this site. If you have any news tips please email malibunews@malibutimes.com
Reporters Melonie Magruder and Meredith Rodriguez contributed to this story.