Malibu, Calif. — Officials in Southern California reported significant overnight growth of a wind-driven wildfire that has forced thousands of people, including celebrities like Cher and Dick Van Dyke, from their homes in Malibu, but forecasters said firefighters would get a break from improving weather conditions.
With much of the coastal city under evacuation orders and warnings, residents waited anxiously to see whether their properties had been spared by the fire, which erupted late Monday and grew to more than 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) by Wednesday morning. It was just 7% contained.
More than 1,500 firefighters were battling the blaze, with many climbing in steep canyons near lines of flames and others hosing down collapsed roofs of horse stables and charred homes.
“The deep and rugged terrain, along with the strong winds and low humidity, continue to pose challenges for firefighters,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said in an incident update.
The National Weather Service said the strongest Santa Ana winds, with gusts that reached 40 mph (64 kph), have passed.
“We’re far better off this morning than we were in the last 30-plus hours,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said at a Wednesday news conference.
Even as the weather was expected to improve, forecasters said gusty winds will continue through Wednesday morning, especially in the mountains, and critical fire conditions remain. Santa Anas are notorious seasonal winds are withering, dry gusts that sweep out of the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony C. Marrone said the blaze grew by nearly 40% overnight. At least 7,500 structures, mostly homes, were threatened, with at least 12,600 people under evacuation orders, officials said.
Much of the devastation occurred in Malibu, a community of about 10,000 people on the western edge of Los Angeles known for its stunning bluffs and Zuma Beach, which features in many Hollywood films. Flames burned near celebrities’ seaside mansions, horse farms and Pepperdine University, where about 3,000 students were forced to shelter in place on campus. Many evacuated their dorms to the library through smoke and ash as flames roared in the canyon nearby.
An early analysis showed little to no damage to structures on campus, the university said in an update Tuesday night. Fire activity was diminished, but some flames were still visible.
It isn't known how the blaze started. Marrone said seven structures had been destroyed and nine others had been damaged.
Malibu City Hall was in the fire’s path, so officials had to relocate to nearby Calabasas as a base for emergency operations, he said.
Many major fires have burned in Malibu, and there's now a familiar cycle where once-lush vegetation is charred.
“It burns, it grows back, and we’re resilient and strong,” the mayor said Tuesday.
Van Dyke, one of many celebrities with homes in Malibu, said in a Facebook post that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuated as the fire swept in. Although the couple and most of their animals evacuated safely, one of their cats, Bobo, escaped as they were leaving. “We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires," he wrote.
Cher evacuated from her Malibu home when ordered and is staying at a hotel, her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said late Tuesday.
The fire erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Monday and swiftly moved south, jumping over the famous Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean, where large homes line the beach and rugged inland canyons are notoriously fire-prone. At one point, flames threatened the historic Malibu Pier, but the structure was protected, officials said.
Power to about 40,000 customers had been shut off by Monday night, including 11,000 in LA County, as Southern California Edison worked to mitigate the impacts of the Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires. Gabriela Ornelas, an Edison spokesperson, said service power was shut off to most customers in Malibu around 6 or 7 p.m. on Monday.
The Woolsey Fire that roared through Malibu in 2018, killing three people and destroying 1,600 homes, was sparked by Edison equipment.
While Malibu is known for its celebrity and uber-wealthy residents, Kasey Earnest, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu, said Tuesday that she's especially concerned about the lower- and middle-class families, ranchers and farmers who also live in the community.
“I refer to those residents as the heart of Malibu,” she said. “They’re just normal families — nobody’s landing a helicopter on their property.”
Copyright Associated Press