Fire Containment Improves To 54%, But Malibu Cyn Rd Quickly Closed Again

Malibu Canyon Road was opened to traffic by firefighters at 8 o’clock last night.  

Two hours later … Malibu Canyon Road was closed to traffic by road crews. 

LA County Department of Public work crews say the cliffs have unstable rocks. made even more unstable by the fire 6 days ago.   

It is likely that Malibu Canyon Road can be expected to be closed for several days … as a renewed round of Santa Ana winds are on tap .. tomorrow night into Wednesday morning. 

Top winds up to 50 miles per hour. 

And with that … more risk of fire spread … more intentional blackouts.

The national Weather Service says the strongest winds look like they will hit Wednesday morning. 

The Woolsey Fire is now 54 percent contained ..  according to updated figures released this morning. 

The number of destroyed structures: now 20.

You may look at the fire and fail to see smoke or flames. 

Fire crews know … however … that stumps and brambles are still glowing … still capable of flashing into flame.

Fire incident commander Drew Smith. 

RISK

 “We’ve had highly successful weather to take advantage of some opportunity, but with that opportunity once again, I’m gonna talk to risk.

“As we have a perimeter of this fire that we’re trying to control that we are keeping within the containment lines, that gives our firefighters an opportunity to engage in its extinguish.

“And as we do that, we go deeper and deeper into this fire to extinguish those smokes, which gives our firefighters the possibility and potential truthfully for injury, because they’re digging in deeper and deeper to extinguish all those smokes through the technology we have – through line of sight of seeing where the heat signatures are – we engaged in that.

“So I know that you see there maybe not any smoke production, but there is heat that still within that fire footprint.”

Containment is now 54 percent.

But the arrival of Santa Ana winds tomorrow afternoon?

That is worrying to fire behavior specialist Jeff Smootz. 

SMOOTZ MON 

“Monday, we’re going to see a little bit of a rising fire danger but still moderate conditions. It’s gonna give us the firefighters bit more time to make sure they’re getting all those hotspots that chief Smith talked about extinguished.

“And then Tuesday through Thursday the fire dangers get a ramp up a little bit and be kind of peeking Tuesday night into Wednesday.”

The National Weather Service is predicting offshore gradients may approach 7 millibars from both the east and the north.

Wind gusts of 45 on the beaches … to 60 mph at the mountaintops .. look likely in the Santa Ana wind corridor … from the grapevine town to the Ventura and western Santa Monica mountains. 

It is possible we will get Red Flag Warnings posted due to the high winds … low humidities and dry brush. 

As of now… We’re under a fire weather watch starting at 10 o’clock Tuesday night until three in the afternoon Thursday.

SCE Warns Of Possible Blackouts In Some Parts Of Malibu Tuesday and Wednesday

Southern California Edison is warning residents that it may cut power intentionally to some parts of Malibu as early as tomorrow afternoon.

SCE says the Cuthbert McGuire Merlin and Serra circuits due to potential for Red Flag Warnings.

That would be the area from the Malibu Civic Center west along PCH and Malibu Road, to about the western side of Point Dume.

Turning to the upcoming Santa Ana winds … moderate Santa Anas will arrive Tuesday night, with top winds of 30 to 45 miles per hour, low humidity.   

Those winds will bit be not nearly as strong as what was blowing 6 days ago … when the fire started. 

Rich Thompson at the NWS says mile offshore winds will blow through Malibu … picking up tomorrow night. 

MON WX RICH THOMPSON 

“In the Tuesday or Thursday timeframe, wind gusts from the north to northeast will be about maybe 30 to 50 mph

“And along with that going to see humidity is dropping down into the teens maybe even smoke single digits.

“So overall it’s gonna be very very dry and pretty breezy out there for the next few days.

“So just kind of know that is something to watch.

“Right now we are looking for moderate Santa Ana there with a Tuesday to Thursday time frame.”

Turning back to the fire… The number of firefighters sleeping in dorm trailers at Zuma Beach has not decreased.

Over the weekend… 1716 personnel remained assigned to the fire. 

There has been no de-escalation.

Fire chief Drew Smith says the hard work of unearthing smoldering stumps continues.

00004 LINES SMITH 

“As we look at the west end of the fire: very steep and rugged terrain.

“In Malibu Canyon we have areas that we cannot get our hand cruise into because it’s over 100% slope. It’s very steep. We have a lot of rock challenges. 

“We don’t want to injure our firefighters.  We are using aerial support with our helicopters to drop on the heat signatures that may potentially threaten the lines.

As of last weekend … teams completed all of the damage inspections.

20 structures were destroyed … 9 of those structures were single family dwellings … 11 were sheds or other outbuildings.

28 structures were damaged … 14 of them are single family dwellings, 2 are multi family dwellings … 7 are commercial buildings along PCH near Malibu Pier … plus 5 outbuildings).

And as of this morning … the fire was estimated to be 54 percent contained. 

Full containment cannot be assured until there are no buried stumps or snags capable of sending sparks up into the air and across fire lines surrounding the fire footprint.

Given the vertical surfaces of Malibu Canyon… Puerco Canyon and the upper elevations … that may be some time.

Traffic Jams May Be Coming To Point Dume With Second School Moving In Next Week

Schools will reopen in Malibu this morning … except for Webster … they come back Tuesday … to a different campus. 

Because both Webster and Malibu Elementary schools will be sharing the Point Dume campus  … the city is changing the parking regulations along Greyfox Street.

The schools are coordinating staggered drop off and pickup times for the two co-located schools.

Malibu City Manager In Exit Lane, As Staff Takes On Enormous New City Task: Debris Removal

Malibu’s city government has to take on an enormous new challenge: removing debris,

And there is effectively no city manager … Steve McClary is burning through his accumulated vacation time and sources tell KBUU News is expected to resign at the end of the year.

Assistant city manager Joe Toney and assistant city manger Alexis Brown are handling management of the emergency … and results city business.

The city council is set to go into emergency session today .. preparing to declare an emergency. 

The emergency city council meeting will be at 2 pm today at the Malibu West Beach Club .. away from City Hall … which was still being cleaned as of yesterday.

The Franklin Fire burned right up to the edge of City Hall … causing paint to warp off the side of the emergency supply bins in the parking lot. 

All evacuation orders are now downgraded to warnings.

City Hall reopens tomorrow … the doors are set to open at 10am tomorrow.

The city expects to have 15 public agencies staffing City Hall tomorrow … starting at 10 a-m … 

The agencies are there to help people prepare for rebuilding … prepare for winter rains … prepare for the blizzard of paperwork about to hit them if their property was damaged. 

The city will host a public forum Wed night at 6 at Malibu City Hall.

Unlike the Woolsey Fire, debris removal of destroyed houses will not be handled by the State of California.   

During Woolsey, there was a big delay on that because the state’s hired crews were sent first to clean up Ventura.

This Franklin fire is not nearly as big as the Woolsey fire … so state crews will not be brought in to handle hazmat assessment and removal… and then the debris removal.

The city will be in charge.  

Power Company Sets Up Utility Yard at Civic Center/Stewart Ranch

Contractors have set up a utility yard in central Malibu … on a rough concrete surface that was laid down by Southern California Edison. 

Over the weekend… Contract crews was seen setting up power poles with crossarms and transformers.

Helicopters were picking up the assembled  gear and flying off to the fire area. 

That vacant lot has a controversial past … in terms of its use as a fire staging yard by Southern California Edison. 

The cement powder that was laid down by Southern California Edison in the dirt mixed with the soil… And became a concrete apron.

Edison was supposed to remove that concrete … but that has been delayed while the California coastal commission examines a complaint that the temporary yard should’ve had a coastal development permit.

That complaints has not been resolved.

Water Main Leak Fixed On Point Dume

A water main began leaking on Point Dume last week … unrelated to the fire.

This was on the 65 hundred block of Wandemere Road .. juts off Hathercliff Drive. 

County waterworks crews say they have fixed the pipe and the fire hydrant.

Van Dyke And Boo Both Safe, One Making Jokes  

Malibu’s number one funny man is cracking wise about getting evacuated during the Franklin Fire. 

He said ‘trying to light 99 birthday candles might have started the fire’ and I said ‘what kind of a birthday party is this?’

Of course … that is Dick Van Dyke… who celebrated his 99th birthday by getting evacuated from his house in Sarah Estates.

Van Dyke … his cat Boo safely in the house … joked yesterday with an ABC-7 news crew.

“He said ‘trying to light 99 candles on a birthday cake is not a good idea.’  And I said “what kind of a birthday party is this?”

Security guard Bryan Claros .. of Neighborhood Security .. helped evacuate Van Dyke and other Serra Estates residents through burning embers and wild winds.

He told an ABC7 news crew yesterday ..that the evacuation though the flames and embers in Serra Estates was scary.

VAN DYKE EVAC

CLAROS: “I was thinking at that moment I have to ignore ll this and get these people to safety.

Sheriff’s volunteer Kirby Cotler told ABC 7 … that Van Dyck was a trooper.

KOTLER: “I’ll tell you when it is much tougher than he says in the car and buckled him in and he just grabbed my arm and said ‘please don’t let my house burn down.’ ”

Within sight of Van Dyck’s home … on Serra Drive … did burn down Tuesday morning.. 

Fishing Boat Capsizes off Ventura 

A fishing boat with 4 people aboard overturned at the mouth to Ventura Harbor Friday.

Authorities are trying to determine what led to a fishing boat capsizing off the Ventura County coast.

It happened Friday morning, just outside of Ventura Harbor.

A nearby boat, and the Ventura Harbor patrol quickly responded to the scene. 

All four people on board the 65 foot long boat were rescued.