2,400-Acre Malibu Fire Destroys 5 Homes, Church

MALIBU, Calif. A brush fire that swept through Malibu, scorching more than 2,400 acres and destroying at least five homes and a church, was about 10 percent contained Monday, but no injuries were reported, authorities said.

The Malibu fire was reported about 4:50 a.m. Sunday and may have been sparked by downed power lines along Malibu Canyon Road, county fire Inspector Sam Padilla.

Since then, flames have been whipped at times by Santa Ana winds gusting up to 60 mph. About 1,400 firefighters were battling the flames, aided by water-dropping helicopters, which were battling high winds to make pin-point drops.

"It's been a long night," Padilla said. The main firefight was in the Carbon Canyon area, but the winds were swirling and threatening to push the flames back toward Pacific Coast Highway.

PCH remained closed between Topanga Canyon and Kanan Dume. Malibu Canyon Road was also closed.

About 1,500 people were evacuated Sunday as the flames tore through brush and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop in an area studded with multimillion-dollar homes.

Malibu Presbyterian Church was among the buildings destroyed. Fire officials said Sunday that at least nine other homes and five businesses had been damaged, including four businesses in the Malibu Colony Shopping Center.

Among the homes destroyed was the Kashan Castle, also known as Hodge Castle, a 10,500-square-foot hilltop landmark built in 1978. The castle was put up for sale in March for $17 million.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has declared a regional state of emergency because of the seven wildfires burning around the Southland, toured the area Monday morning, and said significant progress had been made. He also said the firefight was smoother than the effort in 2003, when a fierce fire tore through more than 17,000 acres in Malibu, destroying more than 300 homes.

"We have learned a lot in the last four years since the last fires we had in 2003," Schwarzenegger said. "One of the things you see is there is much more equipment available, more manpower is available, quicker action, everyone is coordinating much faster."

All classes were canceled Monday at Pepperdine's Malibu campus. Classes were also canceled at all Malibu public schools, along with Topanga Elementary School.

Mandatory evacuations were in place for Malibu Knolls, Malibu Colony, Sweetwater Canyon, Malibu Road, Carbon Canyon, Carbon Mesa, Puerco Canyon, Rambla Pacifico, Monte Nido, Big Rock and Topanga Canyon south of Saddle Peak and Tuna Canyon, according to the city of Malibu.

Voluntary evacuations were in effect for Corral Canyon, Sunset Mesa, Old Topanga Canyon and Hillside Drive.

Malibu and county officials urged residents in other areas to be prepared to evacuate.

"The winds are erratic, they are unpredictable," county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. "There is no telling where the fires will move and when, so until the fire departments tell us it is safe and it is contained, you have to assume that at any given moment, even where there is no fire, that something could pop up in your neighborhood."

Sheriff Lee Baca said residents in all of the fire areas across Southern California were being cooperative when asked to evacuate, and he encouraged other residents to be prepared to move. He also assured residents that their homes would be protected from looters.

American Red Cross shelters were established at Agoura High School, 28545 W. Driver Ave.; and at Pacific Palisades High School, 15777 Bowdoin St.

(Source: CBS Broadcasting Inc.)