The Malibu Fire

During Debra's last summer in Malibu, she and I went walking in a park near Pepperdine. It seems to have several names, the Michael Landon Park and Malibu Bluffs. It was a great place to walk or jog through the shrub brush with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. Her landlady regularly walked her dog there in the evenings. I enjoyed the bunny rabbits that peeked out from the tall grass and that came out on the fields after sunset.

About two weeks ago a fire ravaged the area. On our way to the Malibu Beach RV Park, I could see where the fire had burned right up to the PCH in front of Pepperdine. I knew that it had burned all the way down to the ocean and had taken some of the beach houses in the process.

Before we left Malibu, I needed to see and comprehend the fire. I went over to the park and took a short walk on the paved walkway. I talked to a couple of local people. Apparently they think the fire was caused when someone pitched their cigarette butt out of the car window. That makes sense, because the fire is the narrowest right by the stoplight. So probably someone stopped at the light threw the cigarette out the window. The dry grass caught quickly and the fire roared to life, destroying all the vegetation in its path. Now you can see all the pathways, all the shrub brush is dead. I wonder if the rabbits found shelter and protection from the heat.

While I did not linger by the burned houses, I drove by - grieving with the owners. But I have to say that with the beach houses so close together, it is a miracle that so few burned. At the park, the community center was just a few feet from the fire, but untouched. All the sport fields are still green. The firefighters deserve a lot of praise for doing such a good job extinguishing the fire and saving as much as they did. I hear the winds were very high that night, making this a tough job.

While I am glad this was not an intentionally set fire, carelessness caused a lot of damage. That hillside will take years to recover.