A brush fire that raced through open terrain in Malibu, burning close to 150 acres and prompting evacuation orders and warnings and the clearance of a juvenile probation camp was 17% contained Friday, but authorities warned that high winds in the forecast through Saturday could fan the flames.
Malibu city and county fire officials updated the acres burned Friday morning from 200 acres to about 145 acres, and from 0% containment to 5%, then 17%.
The Bryson Fire broke out shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday near Campus Vernon Kilpatrick on Encinal Canyon Road west of Mulholland Highway, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“Great progress was made overnight by firefighters and the current containment is at 17%. There has been no reported structure loss or damage and only minor injuries to our firefighting personnel,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anothony Marrone said at a news conference Friday morning.
Roughly 414 firefighters were assigned to the blaze Friday, with more than 75 ground and aerial resources committed, he said.
Within 30 minutes after it broke out, the fire was estimated at about 20 acres, and by early evening it was being estimated at nearly 200 acres, according to Cal Fire. The fire’s size was later reduced following aerial mapping.
As the fire grew Thursday, incident commanders issued a second alarm, summoning additional crews to help subdue the fire. Water- and retardant-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were dispatched to the scene to help battle the fire, which burned in largely inaccessible terrain.
There was no immediate word on what caused the blaze.
The fire erupted amid gusting Santa Ana winds that prompted red flag warnings of critical fire danger across much of the Southland. The warnings will be in place through 8 p.m. Saturday.
The 38 female and gender expansive youth from Campus Vernon Kilpatrick, a juvenile detention facility, were taken to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, according to the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
Evacuation warnings were issued for a large area stretching from near Malibu Road and Pacific Coast Highway to Leo Carrillo State Beach. An evacuation order was subsequently issued in the more immediate area, including Zuma and Trancas canyons.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department closed Decker Road at Encinal Canyon Road, Kanan Road at Mulholland Highway and Mulholland Highway at Westlake Boulevard.
Many residents in the area, meanwhile, were likely without power due to Southern California Edison’s precautionary Public Safety Power Shutoff program, designed to cut electricity to lines that could be damaged by high winds and spark brush fires. As of Friday morning, nearly 35,000 SCE customers in Los Angeles County had their power cut, but it was unclear exactly how many were in the Malibu area.
A power outage began around 3:30 p.m. Thursday in central and western Malibu, according to Matt Myerhoff, Malibu’s public information officer. The city had been warned of a potential outage several days before the power was shut off, Myerhoff said
“We are urging residents to monitor emergency information on AM and FM radios, using handheld radios and car radios, because that will work when the power’s out,” he said.
Residents were advised to listen to Malibu-based KBUU-FM (99.1) for the latest information on the fire.
Red Cross Los Angeles announced it had established an emergency shelter for evacuees at Agoura High School.
An animal evacuation center was set up at the Agoura Animal Care Center, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management
The Getty Villa announced on Facebook it would be closed to the public on Friday “out of an abundance of caution, and to help keep surrounding roads clear for emergency responders.” People with reservations for the Getty Villa can visit the Getty Center instead or reschedule their Getty Villa visit for a future date.
Sheriff Robert Luna warned anyone thinking about burglarizing homes in evacuated or blacked out areas to think again.
“If you think you are going to come in and take advantage of these poor folks who have been asked to evacuate or who don’t have power, you are going to run into probably deputies who aren’t in uniform and are just out there specifically looking for that challenge,” he said.
Luna said prepositioning of resources in fire-prone areas would continue through at least Saturday evening.