Malibu’s swift response to Broad Fire highlights city’s growth in emergency preparedness

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Malibu Bluffs Park was salvaged from the 5-acre blaze; one home on Malibu Road was severely damaged

“We implemented without hesitancy,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said after experiencing last week’s Broad Fire. “The city was much better prepared, better staffed, better trained, and better equipped.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, LA County Fire Dept, Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs Dept., and Malibu Volunteers on Patrol team had all three of its patrol units fully staffed and on duty in anticipation of the Santa Ana Winds predicted for that day.

Photo courtesy Malibu Volunteers on Patrol
An LA County helicopter drop some material on the flames during the Broad Fire near Malibu Bluffs Park. The Broad Fire was first reported at 9:30 a.m., and by 11 a.m., the fire has scorched at least 40 acres, damaging at at least one home wa lost. Photo courtesy Malibu Volunteers on Patrol

The Malibu VOPs said units were initially deployed at 6 a.m. to Topanga Canyon to handle a “soft” road closure, but once the Broad Fire started near PCH and Malibu Canyon Road, the VOPs were redeployed to various points along PCH to assist Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, and West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station units on scene. 

Sadly, at least one home was lost on Malibu Road. Once roads were reopened, deputies and VOPs responded to a serious traffic collision on Civic Center Way, where one driver was transported to the hospital. After the traffic collision was cleared, the VOPs were asked to conduct traffic control at several intersections in Malibu due to the traffic lights being non-operational.

“Needless to say, it was a long day,” the Facebook post says. “And another wind event is predicted for Thursday!” 

Stewart said they have been preparing since the city issued a Red Flag Warning earlier this month.

“Mayor Pro Tem Marianne Riggins, Steve McClary, and I had a phone call on early Tuesday morning, just after the weather forecast became more confirmed, and went over just what the city was doing to be prepared and we were very impressed by what the city staff had already put together,” Stewart said. “It was a briefing on what the worst things that could happen.”

The National Weather Service cautioned residents about a “particularly dangerous situation” as wind gusts could reach up to 100 mph in some areas, including the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains. Southern California Edison also warned that approximately 47,000 Los Angeles County customers could experience power outages due to public safety shutoffs during the wind event.

As for Wednesday morning, Stewart said he was alerted about the fire through a pulse point.

“I saw it happen almost immediately and it was, it was real time right in front of our eyes almost,” he said. “I wasn’table to see the smoke like the people were in the City Hall, but it was right there in front of us.”

The fire, first reported around 9:30 a.m., quickly spread from 5 to 15 acres, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds gusting up to 75 mph. By 11 a.m., the fire had scorched at least 40 acres, damaging one home and threatening several others. Crews have been battling intense winds that are pushing flames toward the coast, creating difficult conditions for containment efforts. 

As a precaution, officials closed PCH in both directions from Corral Canyon to Webb Way and advised residents along Malibu Road between Webb Way and PCH to shelter in place. City officials in Malibu also advised residents to prepare for potential evacuations if the fire’s progression continues.

“Everybody helped out — you can never have enough manpower,” Stewart said. “Everybody was there — the fire brigades, the fire liaison, the fire department, and the Sheriff’s department — everybody was there.”

With the Broad Fire occurring the same week the Woolsey Fire occurred in 2018, Malibu was too familiar with how quickly fires can spread. 

“It shows you how fast that moved; when you look at Ventura Mountain Fire, it just tells you the horrific winds were occurring, and that’s  exactly why the city went on this advanced response alert,” Stewart said. “If something like that had happened up the canyons, we would’ve had a magnitude fire in a matter of hours, and that’s what we were terrified of and that’s what we’re trying to prepare for.”

That same day, the Mountain Fire, with similar wind-driven flames, also quickly started. As of Monday, Nov. 12, at least 192 structures were destroyed by a fan-flamed wildfire that quickly spread to more than 20,000 acres in Ventura County, officials announced in a press conference Monday. Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to Ventura County. The fire is 48 percent contained as of Tuesday, Nov. 12. To see updates on the fire visitfire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/11/6/mountain-fire.

“As unfortunate as that fire is at in Ventura, that could have been us, it literally could have been us,” Stewart said. “We had the same wind conditions, same problems, same dry brush and we were terrified we were going to have to face that again.”

In Malibu, Pepperdine University confirmed that its main campus was not threatened, though officials were closely monitoring the situation in coordination with local fire authorities. The university also allowed motorists to enter through the campus to get to PCH. 

Stewart also acknowledged their city staff for being well prepared. 

“We are very fortunate that Susan Duenas has been here during the Woolsey Fire, we’ve got fire liaisons firefighters that are on our public safety staff, and most of all, Steve McClary, who is the City Manager had gone through the Thomas Fire (in 2017), so we had experienced hands that were sitting there going through their checklist,” he said. 

In Malibu, fire season is all year round. Stewart said the city has ensured they have backup generators in case traffic lights are turned off during a PSPS emergencies. 

“We had to power off during the high winds; we didn’t want to take any chances,” he said. “I think the city is far better prepared; the amount of preparation and staffing and coordination is magnitude times better than what we had six years ago. We have better radio systems, better communication with the outside agencies. It’s just nowhere close to what we had six years ago.”