LOS ANGELES — More than 300,000 people have been ordered out of their homes because of wildfires in seven Southern California counties. President Bush declared an emergency to speed up the delivery of federal aid, and the Department of Defense agreed to send six Air Force and Air National Guard water-dropping or retardant-dropping planes Tuesday to aide the massive firefighting effort. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday ordered the California National Guard to make 1,500 guardsmen available to support firefighting efforts.
MALIBU — All public schools remained closed in Malibu Tuesday as firefighters worked to contain a 3,800-acre fire that damaged or destroyed some two dozen homes and businesses and prompted hundreds of evacuations.
A community meeting has been planned for 7 Tuesday evening at Malibu High School, 30215 Morning View Drive, at which officials will brief residents on evacuations and road closures, the city of Malibu reported. Another community meeting is planned for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Agoura/Calabasas community center, at 27040 Malibu Hills Road, in Calabasas. Further fire-related information is available online at www.malibu-ca.gov.
The so-called Canyon Fire, which began at about 4:50 a.m. Sunday, may have been sparked by power lines felled by strong Santa Ana winds, authorities said. Gusts of wind up to 60 mph pushed the flames into canyons dotted with multimillion-dollar homes.
Three people suffered minor injuries, the county fire department reported. About 1,500 people were evacuated Sunday as the flames tore through brush and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Malibu Presbyterian Church was among the buildings destroyed. Among the homes destroyed was the Kashan Castle, also known as Hodge Castle, a 10,500-square-foot hilltop landmark built in 1978.
Classes were canceled Tuesday at Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. City Hall was closed Monday, and remained closed Tuesday to the public. However, city staff will be on hand to respond to urgent matters, the city reported. American Red Cross shelters remained open at three area high schools: Agoura High School, at 28545 W. Driver Ave., Pacific Palisades High School, 15777 Bowdoin St., and Malibu High School, 30215 Morning View Drive. The Pacific Coast Highway remained closed between Topanga Canyon and Kanan Dume. Malibu Canyon and Topanga Canyon roads were closed between PCH and Mulholland Highway.
