Malibu Fire Update & Red Flag Warning Shared by Councilwoman Park at PPCC Meeting Tonight
By Laurel Busby
News & Information Editor
A fire has erupted in Malibu and reportedly grew from 40 acres to more than 100 acres by around 6:30 p.m. Thursday night.
The Bryson Fire was located near Mulholland Highway between the former Malibu Golf Club and Saddle Rock Ranch, according to City Councilmember Traci Park, who was speaking to the Pacific Palisades Community Council about the potential formation of a Disaster Recovery District to speed the rebuilding of Pacific Palisades.
Around 6 p.m., the fire was being fanned by winds of between 20-40 miles per hour, which were expected to increase overnight, according to Park, who was receiving updates from the L.A. Fire Department during the meeting. The department was dropping water from the air to try to extinguish it.
Unfortunately, by 6:31 p.m. the fire had surpassed 100 acres, and evacuation orders had been issued to nearby neighborhoods, according to CalFire.
Park assured the PPCC, “I am keeping close, close eyes on this. I will keep you all updated as things unfold and I will push out information on my social channels if and when that becomes necessary.”
A National Weather Service red flag warning, which indicates high wildfire danger due to hot, dry, and windy weather, has been issued for today through Sunday.
This warning was a particular concern for Pacific Palisades due to the water leak that began last week, Park said. The L.A. Department of Water & Power had worked “around the clock” to repair a valve that was leaking on Sunset Blvd. near Allenford. The Santa Ynez Reservoir is also slowly being refilled, but it will not be full and back in service until the end of the year.
To stabilize the pressure on the main water line, the Corbin Canyon pipeline was activated as a backup in the event of a fire emergency, Park said.
“We are taking the red flag warnings very seriously,” Park said. “LAFD has already deployed in Brentwood and the Pacific Palisades additional engines and brush patrols. Over the last few days, they had already coordinated and brought in additional air and ground support…. So, I just want to let you know that those pre-deployment efforts have already been made. All of our firefighters are on mandatory augmented staffing. That means nobody's going home. Everybody's staying for the duration of this weather event.”
A 1-1/2 acre fire on the Veterans Administration campus in Westwood was recently extinguished, Park said. Firefighters remain on the scene and have been digging and using drones to ensure that no hot spots remain.
“They did the same thing after the Getty fire a couple of weeks ago … and that is the new protocol,” Park said. “Obviously, it's very, very unsettling to hear about a fire so nearby and to be again in the middle of these dangerous conditions, so I will continue to push information out as I get it and as things develop.”
Resources to track the fire include these websites:
