Note: This article appeared in print edition of The Malibu Times on Wednesday. Continue checking back with malibutimes.com for ongoing fire and traffic updates.
Firefighters battled and subdued two small brush fires Tuesday near Malibu as low humidity and heavy winds continued to keep fire authorities on high alert.
The worst of the two fires occurred shortly after 3 p.m. on a hillside in Pacific Palisades next to Pacific Coast Highway, burning approximately two acres, snarling rush hour traffic and inching perilously close to several blufftop homes. A second fire, which sparked around noon in Topanga Canyon, also burned two acres and was subdued about three hours later. A small fire was also reported in Topanga Canyon on Sunday.
No major injuries were reported in either fire, but one firefighter suffered a minor injury in the Topanga brush fire when ash blew into his eye.
PCH Fire burns 2 acres, creates traffic nightmare
The PCH Fire was reported around 3:15 p.m. as a cloud of smoke and red flames engulfed the hillside in the 14800 block of PCH just north of Chautauqua Blvd. A few blufftop homes were briefly threatened by the flames, but firefighters fought down the flames as they approached the top of the hill.
Approximately 150 firefighters and several helicopter “super scoopers” responded to the hillside blaze, with some crews spraying water uphill from PCH as super scoopers made aerial drops. Firefighters were also posted in the backyards of several hilltop homes to douse the properties as a precaution.