Wildfire burns homes, winery in L.A.'s posh Bel-Air neighbourhood

By Dan Whitcomb

 

Embers continue burning near a home that was damaged during the Creek Fire in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, in Sylmar, California, U.S., December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wind-whipped wildfire raged on Wednesday into a wealthy Southern California neighbourhood, destroying at least six homes, threatening hundreds more and scorching a building at a winery owned by billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

 

The so-called Skirball Fire, which erupted early on Wednesday morning as the latest in a rash of major blazes fuelled by hot, dry Santa Ana winds, had burned about 150 acres near large estates in the Bel-Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles by early afternoon and was only 5 percent contained.

 

Firefighters battled to save multimillion-dollar homes in the path of the flames, which also forced the closure of the San Diego (405) Freeway in both directions, and warned that if the winds picked up again in the evening the situation could become even more dire.

 

"We are expecting some extreme wind behaviour this evening," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby told reporters at an afternoon news conference.

 

Murdoch's winery, Moraga Vineyards, was evacuated on Wednesday morning as the fire descended on the grounds, a spokeswoman said. Later a structure on the property was seen on fire as crews worked to extinguish the flames.

 

The new fire also prompted the nearby Getty Center museum to close the doors at its hilltop campus to prevent damage to its world-class art collection.

 

The Skirball Fire in the area south of scenic Mulholland Drive and north of Sunset Boulevard is just one of several major out-of-control brush fires that have sprung up in Southern California since Monday, when Santa Ana wind conditions set in.

 

In Ventura, some 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Los Angeles, more than 1,000 firefighters battled the largest, the Thomas Fire, which has already destroyed more than 150 homes and threatened thousands more.

 

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, freeing state funds and resources to assist firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it approved grants to help cover the cost of emergency work for the Thomas Fire and two others.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his thoughts and prayers were with everyone in the path of the wildfires.

 

"I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local and state officials," Trump wrote on Twitter. "THANK YOU to all First Responders for your incredible work."

 

Although no casualties have been reported, the fires have forced mass evacuations, cancellation of classes at dozens of schools and resulted in the loss of power at more than 250,000 homes in Ventura County.

 

In the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, the Creek Fire destroyed at least 30 homes, blackened more than 11,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 2,500 homes and a convalescent centre north of Interstate 210 on Tuesday.

 

Three firefighters were injured and hospitalized in stable condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

 

The Santa Ana winds, which blow westward from the California desert, were forecast to top out at 70 miles per hour (115 km per hour) on Wednesday and remain strong through the week.

 

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by James Dalgleish and Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-12-07

Video from the morning commute:

 

 

Soooooo, millionaires and very rich people live there, but did nothing to deal with the inflammable material that surrounded their expensive houses. That proves something.

Either the authorities banned scrub clearance, in which case they should be sued to the max, or rich people didn't care enough to pay for it to be done, in which case they are sorry now. I certainly don't think that poor ratepayers should have had to pay to keep that area clear of inflammable material.

Now, of course, those poorer taxpayers have to pay for the firefighters, and the firefighters have to risk their lives to save rich people's property.

I'm sure they are well insured .

15 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

I'm sure they are well insured .

Insurance never covers loss of sentiment for personal items. I would be distraught if I lost my photos and books, not to mention items with emotional attachment.

However, I know how to use a chainsaw and if my house was in danger of getting burned to the ground I would be using it and stuff the ordinances saying I couldn't cut vegetation. I'd also be keeping the undergrowth cleared back, as that is how the fires travel.

I guess rich people wouldn't know how to use a chainsaw though.

What I don't understand is why they don't appear to have systems in place to water the houses to stop them burning. Very expensive, but affordable for those homeowners. I'm sure they all have swimming pools.

i have lived in Malibu for many years and the fire dept. comes around regularly and will issue citations if you do not conform to the local fire ordinances, also no one builds wooden house anymore.  all concrete. 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I would be distraught if I lost my photos and books, not to mention items with emotional attachment.

Rich folk have big safes . They last a long in fire.

 

48 minutes ago, malibukid said:

all concrete.

Bad concrete then.

Edited December 7, 20178 yr by BuaBS

With very steep canyons and VERY strong winds, these fires and the embers can travel a great distance, so clearing out the brush in the gov't owned areas would be nearly impossible for homeowners.   You would have to clear out miles of it and most likely would get into trouble for cutting down trees or clearing on public land.   

 

I did see an area where someone had rented a herd of goats to clear an area, and it was pretty well cleared out.   Goats are more of a browser than a grazer, so they cleaned up branches and leaves.   It wouldn't prevent a fire, but there would be less to burn.   

 

In many of those areas it is the massively high winds that are the problem once a fire starts.   

 

My thoughts are with the people affected.   Very dangerous and very scary.  

14 hours ago, Credo said:

With very steep canyons and VERY strong winds, these fires and the embers can travel a great distance, so clearing out the brush in the gov't owned areas would be nearly impossible for homeowners.   You would have to clear out miles of it and most likely would get into trouble for cutting down trees or clearing on public land.   

 

I did see an area where someone had rented a herd of goats to clear an area, and it was pretty well cleared out.   Goats are more of a browser than a grazer, so they cleaned up branches and leaves.   It wouldn't prevent a fire, but there would be less to burn.   

 

In many of those areas it is the massively high winds that are the problem once a fire starts.   

 

My thoughts are with the people affected.   Very dangerous and very scary.  

I obviously need to clarify. Not talking about cutting down trees prior to a fire potentially  threatening the house. I am talking about clearing the scrub at ground level which is how the fires travel. Only needs to be the area close to the house. Goats sounds like an excellent idea.

With the lack of ground fuel and by cutting down the trees in the immediate area so the tops fall away from the house, the problem is the heat and the sparks. That can be solved by having watering systems ( that exist ) and a large pool as a water supply. Cladding the buildings in fireproof material or using good quality concrete walls and steel, not shingle, roofs, plus installing a watering system reduces the risk of the house burning even if the fire surrounds the house.

Main part of my solution though, is being prepared to 

1/ clear fuel sources at ground level on a regular basis

2/ cutting down trees near the house so the tops can't burn near the building in the event of an actual fire.

3/ installing proven watering systems and a sufficient water supply.

 

I'd also build an underground bunker ( with air supply ) to take refuge in if I was that rich that I could afford to live there.

19 hours ago, malibukid said:

i have lived in Malibu for many years and the fire dept. comes around regularly and will issue citations if you do not conform to the local fire ordinances, also no one builds wooden house anymore.  all concrete. 

Obviously the houses that got burned in the current fire zone were not fireproof, but good that Malibu takes it seriously.

19 hours ago, BuaBS said:

Rich folk have big safes . They last a long in fire.

 

Bad concrete then.

I'd have to have a very large safe then.

However, those rich people could build a room sized safe. Good idea.

Lots of property damage, lots of animals lost  and I will bet a lot more houses will be lost before these fires are all out. Good luck to everyone in the area.

Geezer

My thoughts are with the people in the affected areas.   A home is a home whether it is a million dollar mansion or a humble trailer house.