Fire Cuts Swath Through Malibu Hills(Threatens Pepperdine)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 12:31 PM PDT, October 21, 2007 | Times Staff Writers

[kellynla]

I got a call at 6 a.m. saying there was a fire in the canyon and there were santa ana winds," said Pastor Greg Hughes. "That's a bad combination so I came over."

Hughes drove from his home near Zuma Beach and reached the church with other staffers about 6:30 a.m. A fire engine was already at the scene.

"There was thick smoke. I could hardly see anything," he said. Firefighters told him that the church was not immediately under threat but warned that the unpredictible winds meant that could quickly change.

He and his colleagues started removing important items from the hilltop building, including boxes of documents and computers. Sheriff's deputies arrived shortly afterward and told them to leave.

"When we did, embers were flying, and we knew that that was a wise decision," he said. "I got home turned on the TV and we watched it burn down."

Hughes described the church as "a very vibrant and alive congregation." The church has about 450 members.

"We didn't lose any members," he said. "We only lost a building. We're going to regroup. We believe God will make something beautiful out of ashes." -Jack Leonard 1,000 acres lost Low humidity and gusts of up to 50 mph drove the fire, sending embers flying, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman. The fire will likely threaten thousands of homes over the next several days, he said.

[Petronski]

Live thread underway:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914252/posts

[kellynla]

Aerial view of Malibu fire site:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-malibu21oct21-graphic,0,545208.graphic?coll=la-home-center

[Redcloak]

Here's a visible satellite view of So. Cal.:

 

The smoke from the fires can bee seen spreading downwind.