Woolsey Fire

Woolsey Fire
File:Woolsey Fire evacuation from Malibu on November 9, 2018.jpg The large smoke plume from the fire encroaching on Malibu on November 9, seen from the Pacific Coast Highway
Location	Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California, United States
Coordinates
Statistics
Cost	Unknown
Date(s)	November 8, 2018 (2018-11-08) 2:24 p.m.–present (PST)
Burned area	98,362 acres (39,806 ha)
Cause	Under investigation
Land use	Recreational and residential
Buildings destroyed	504
Injuries	2 civilians 3 firefighters
Fatalities	3 civilians

External 3D models
16px Woolsey Fire Map (2018.11.10) - ArcGIS Esri
16px Woolsey: US Wildfires Google Crisis Response

The Woolsey Fire is a very destructive wildfire burning in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties of the U.S. state of California. The fire ignited on November 8, 2018, and has burned over 98,362 acres (39,806 hectares) of land. The fire has destroyed an estimated 504 structures, killed 3 people, and prompted the evacuation of more than 265,000 people.

The fire started near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the Santa Susana Mountains above the Simi Valley near the boundary between Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The Santa Ana winds, which often are a factor for Southern California fires, pushed the fire in a southerly direction throughout the first day. The Ventura freeway between the San Fernando Valley and the Conejo Valley was closed as the fire crossed and headed into the rugged Santa Monica Mountains.

The fire raced through the chaparral-covered steep canyons where it encountered historic movie and TV sets, small ranches, and the homes of celebrities. Dozens of homes in Malibu were destroyed or damaged on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway. Many of these were on Point Dume that juts out from the narrow coastal terrace that lies between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. While the firefighters successfully protected Pepperdine University to the south, the entire portion of the Malibu coast west to the community of Solromar suffered damage from the fire. Thousands of residents were kept away from their homes in numerous neighborhoods along the Ventura Freeway and the communities along the Malibu coast for many days as the fire continued to threaten homes. The evacuated residents were slowly allowed to return to see if their home was still there as the fire continued to spread through the rugged wilderness at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Timeline

Around 2:24 p.m. PST on November 8, 2018, a fire ignited on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory from unknown causes in Ventura County, California. Powerful Santa Ana winds, reaching 50 to 60 mph (80 to 97 km/h), caused the fire to spread rapidly and beyond firefighting capabilities. During the overnight hours into the early morning of November 9, the fire spread through Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills and soon crossed U.S. Route 101 near Calabasas. Aerial suppression of the fire was unable to commence until 5:00 a.m. PST, November 9, when winds lessened enough.

The blaze spread rapidly throughout the day, reaching the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu by the afternoon. Pepperdine University in Malibu recommended that students shelter in place in specific buildings on campus rather than use the crowded highway to evacuate. Farther north, the flames spread to portions of Thousand Oaks, Bell Canyon, Oak Park. and the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

By the morning of November 10, 3,242 firefighters were deployed to attempt to contain the blaze. The fire had engulfed more than 70,000 acres (28,000 hectares) of land, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 265,000 people from 75,000 residences. This included an unprecedented total evacuation of Bell Canyon, Malibu, and Oak Park.

Before sunrise on November 14, the fire flared up in rugged wilderness at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains with winds blowing strongly. The fire burned well away from populated neighborhoods, but was threatening scattered home sites. The flare-up sent a huge column of smoke over Point Mugu and out to sea.

As of November 14 at 6:28 p.m. PST, the fire threatened 57,000 structures and was 52% contained, with full containment expected by November 18.

Impacts

File:Woolsey Fire satellite image November 9, 2018.png

Satellite image of the fire on November 9. The majority of western Malibu is engulfed by smoke and fire at the time of this image, with the blaze spreading into Thousand Oaks.

The Woolsey Fire forced many of the public and private parks and trails within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to close indefinitely. It also caused Malibu Creek State Park and Zuma Beach to close.

Two people were found dead in a vehicle on Mulholland Highway in Malibu. Emergency personnel were unable to reach the victims when a report of a critical burn victim was relayed, due to downed power lines. On Tuesday November 13, a third victim was discovered in the 32000 block of Lobo Canyon Road in Agoura Hills.

At least 177 homes were destroyed by the fire. Many celebrities are among those who have lost their homes, including Kim Basinger, Tracey E. Bregman, Gerard Butler, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, Scott Derrickson, Joe Flanigan, Mike Garson, Camille Grammer, Daryl Hannah and Neil Young, Gabe Kapler, Lil Pump, Robin Thicke, and Eric Wynalda. Multiple filming locations and historical sites were directly impacted by the fire, including Paramount Ranch, Peter Strauss Ranch, the former Reagan Ranch now part of Malibu Creek State Park, and the lower house of Villa De La Vina, the mansion where The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are filmed. The numerous drug rehabilitation centers and sober living houses in Malibu that have given rise to the nickname "Rehab Riviera" were evacuated ahead of the fire. At least two were destroyed or significantly damaged.

There have been two cases of looting in Ventura County, one of which resulted in a car chase.

Reporters and officials rescued animals from homes, and brought them to shelters and vets. Other animals at locations such as Malibu Wines were either evacuated or cared for at the locations. Local fire officials opened Zuma Beach as an evacuation point for large animals, with pictures by the Los Angeles Times, showing llamas, alpacas, and horses tied to lifeguard stations and poles.

Response

On November 10, President Donald Trump blamed poor forest management by the state of California as the cause of recent wildfires in the state, including the Woolsey Fire and the concurrent Camp Fire in Northern California. In a controversial tweet, he threatened to end federal assistance unless the state improves its "gross mismanagement of the forests". The firemens' union disagreed with President Trump's claims, noting that California is experiencing unusually dry conditions and abnormally high fire danger. Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, described Trump's assertion about the state's forest management practices as "dangerously wrong", noting that 60 percent of California forests are directly managed by the federal government, which has reduced spending on forestry in recent years.

See also

• 2018 California wildfires
  • Camp Fire (2018), a concurrent destructive wildfire in northern California
• List of California wildfires

External links

• Los Angeles Fire Department — Woolsey Fire
• Ventura Country Sheriff's Office — Emergency Incident Information, Hill Fire & Woolsey Fire
• Woolsey Fire Incident Information fire.ca.gov
• Woolsey Fire Incident Maps fire.ca.gov
• Woolsey Fire News Releases fire.ca.gov