Press-Enterprise.com
New brush fires erupt in Southern California
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
February 8, 2006 5:42 a.m. PST
A brush fire broke out alongside a freeway on the Los Angeles-Simi Valley border early Wednesday and consumed about 2 acres of land before it was extinguished, officials said.
The fire next to the 118 Freeway broke out around 3:45 a.m. and was started by a burning vehicle, said Cheryl Sims, a dispatch supervisor for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. About 100 firefighters had it knocked down an hour later, she said.
Meanwhile, another blaze was raging in a remote canyon near Malibu, according to television footage. Crews on the ground and in the air were searching for the blaze, Sims said...
More at
Near the Ronald Reagan Freeway? It must be Bush's fault!
Channel 2 is reporting that the fire is spreading rapidly. They are doing night time drops. L.A. Sheriff reports they may have the man who had a campfire or car fire which might have started the fire.
Winds with gusts up to 50 MPH expected today. Temps are expected in the 90s.
More from CBS2/KCAL 9
Malibu Wildfire Is Spreading Rapidly
(CBS) MALIBU, Calif. A brush fire that broke out around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning appears to be spreading rapidly, despite the absence of strong winds.
The fire is located in the Santa Monica mountains in the area of Piuma and Canyon Roads, about 2.5 miles north of the Pepperdine campus. It appeared to be burning in a north-south direction.
Only light winds have moved through the area so far this morning, though they are expected to pick up considerably after daybreak.
CBS2/KCAL 9
Another one Ping.
KESQ Channel 3
Fire burns alongside freeway
LOS ANGELES Some 100 firefighters are battling a blaze in the brush alongside the westbound lanes of the one-18 freeway near the Los Angeles-Simi Valley border.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey says the fire has consumed between one and one-and-a-half acres just north of the freeway.
He says it began burning at around a quarter to four this morning and may have been started by a vehicle fire.
Humphrey says crews from L-A County and Ventura County have joined the city firefighters, and that they are attacking the blaze from the ground and air.
But he says the steep terrain and winds of ten miles per hour are hampering firefighters efforts.
A C-H-P spokesman says only the car pool lane is open on westbound one-18 east of Rocky Peak Fire Road. The closures are likely to last for an hour to hour and a half.
Well, at least they can go into bars and not be bothered by passive smoking.
Let me be the first to say it: It's the muslims fault.
Did I hear correctly that the original fire from a few days ago was a controlled burn that got out of hand?
It's Bush's fault.
As of 6:50 A.M. School Closings:
- Webster Elementary
- Cabrillo Elementary
- Point Dume Elementary
- Malibu High School
Fire Burning in Malibu Creek State Park
BREAKING NEWS
MALIBU - A brush fire broke out this morning in rough terrain in the Santa Monica Mountains between Calabasas and Malibu and appeared to be spreading rapidly despite the absence of strong pre-dawn winds.
No homes were immediately threatened and there were no immediate injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The blaze broke out in the area of Latigo Canyon Road Newton Canyon Road and was reported to authorities at 4:48 a.m., said Los Angeles County Fire Department Supervising Dispatcher Cheryl Sims. The area is about 3 miles northwest of the Pepperdine campus.
Sims said about 6 a.m. that the blaze had spread to "five or six" acres, but she added that she would not immediately call it "out of control."
Fire officials, who generally prefer carrying out aerial assaults during daylight hours, wasted no time in launching helicopters to make water drops on the blaze.
According to Sims, there were between 50 and 75 firefighters at the scene before sunrise.
The fire broke out and spread even though there were no significant winds. But the winds were expected to pick up after daybreak. A Red Flag Warning, signifying the danger of wildfire because of high winds, low humidity and high heat, was in effect and set to expire only at 4 p.m.
Earlier, a much smaller blaze broke out along the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway near Chatsworth, authorities said.
The fire was reported to authorities around 3:40 a.m. along the westbound side of the freeway, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
As of 4:30 a.m., the fire had consumed about one acre of vegetation without damaging any structures, Humphrey said. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters established lines around the fire, but a containment estimate was not immediately possible, Humphrey said, adding that winds were blowing at about 10 mph in the area.
KABC 7 News
Fires near the Ronald Reagan hwy???
I didn't know there were brush fires in Ohio!!!
http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/cross.html
;-)
Los Angeles Times
Wildfire Breaks Out in Remote Area Near Malibu
February 8, 2006
Wildfire Breaks Out in Remote Area Near Malibu
From Associated Press
A brush fire was raging in a rugged canyon north of Malibu this morning, officials said.
Television footage showed huge walls of flames eating through scrub brush and crawling along hillsides.
The blaze broke out around 4:45 a.m. and may have been sparked by a vehicle fire, said Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mark Savage. Officials found a burned out vehicle on the scene, he said.
A helicopter from the Los Angeles city fire department had made water drops on the fire before daybreak, Savage said.
Firefighters from both the city and county departments were on the scene, he said.
Savage said he had no immediate information on the fire's size or whether homes were threatened...
Story continues at LA Times
Forbes and
Associated Press
New Calif. Wildfire Burns Near Malibu
02.08.2006, 11:11 AM
Huge walls of flame ate through scrub brush and crawled along hillsides early Wednesday in a rugged canyon north of Malibu.
Fire crews to the southeast, meanwhile, made significant progress in containing a larger blaze in Orange County.
The Malibu fire broke out shortly before 5 a.m. and may have been sparked by a burned-out vehicle found at the scene, Los Angeles County fire Capt. Mark Savage said.
About 25 acres were consumed on hillsides near the Pepperdine University campus. No homes were threatened and no evacuations were immediately ordered.
More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze, aided by five water-dropping helicopters, said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Jason Hurd. The fire was growing slowly in all directions, he said.
The blaze just east of the cities of Orange and Anaheim burned 7,179 acres and was 18 percent contained by early Wednesday, said Dennis Shell, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority. Temperatures were rising, humidity was falling and winds were whipping up, he said.
"Today's going to be a very critical day for us," Shell said.
Remnants of a controlled burn fanned to life by Santa Ana winds are believed to have caused the blaze, which triggered the evacuation of more than 2,000 homes, a U.S. Forest Service official said.
More than 1,000 firefighters were on scene, Shell said.
By the time evacuation orders were lifted, some residents had already managed to return. Others had disregarded fire crews' calls to leave and stayed to protect their homes in case the fire approached.
Forbes
If it's not too much trouble, could you please add this to the title : " Malibu Wildfire Is Spreading Rapidly " ?
It gives an accurate descriptive updated locale for the fire and it actually is the title of a CBS 2/KCAL 9 (local TV stations) story I posted on the thread. Malibu Wildfire Is Spreading Rapidly.
Thank you.
I wondered why my phone was beeping this morning...although the alert went out at 7am....
I just bought some marshmallows !! Who wants to join me?