Southern California fires burn mobile homes, Malibu mansions
Two people were found dead and scores of houses from ranch homes to celebrities’ mansions burned in a pair of wildfires that stretched across more than 100 square miles of Southern California, authorities said Saturday.
The two bodies were found severely burned inside a car on a long residential driveway in Malibu, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Chief John Benedict said. The home is on a winding stretch of Mulholland Highway with steep panoramic views, where on Saturday the roadway was littered with rocks, a few large boulders and fallen power lines, some of them still on fire. Most of the surrounding structures were leveled.
The deaths brings to 11 the number of people killed in the state’s wildfires in the past few days, with nine found dead in a Northern California wildfire.
Firefighters have saved thousands of homes despite working in “extreme, tough fire conditions that they said they have never seen in their life,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said.
Those vicious conditions on Friday night gave way to calm Saturday, with winds reduced to breezes.
Firefighters used the lull to try to rein in the powerful blaze that had grown to 109 square miles (282 square kilometers) and get a grasp of how much damage it did in its first two days.
Osby said losses to homes were significant but did not say how many had burned. Officials said earlier that 150 houses had been destroyed and the number would rise. About 250,000 homes are under evacuation orders across the region.
Fire burned in famously ritzy coastal spots like Malibu , where Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian West, Guillermo del Toro and Martin Sheen were among those forced out of their homes amid a citywide evacuation order.
“It was way too big a firestorm,” said Lani Netter, whose Malibu home was spared while her neighbor’s burned. “We had tremendous, demonic winds is the only way I can put it.”
The flames also burned inland through hills and canyons dotted with modest homes, reached into the corner of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and stretched into suburbs like Thousand Oaks, a city of 130,000 people that just a few days ago saw 12 people killed in a mass shooting at a country music bar.
Wildfire raged on both sides of the city still in mourning, where about three-quarters of the population are under evacuation orders that officials urged them to heed.
“We’ve had a lot of tragedy in our community,” said Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, whose district includes Thousand Oaks. “We don’t want any more. We do not want any more lives lost.”
Nothing was left but the horses for Arik Fultz, who spent Saturday sifting through the remains through the charred remains of his 40-acre ranch near Malibu.
“It just doesn’t feel real that it’s all gone,” Fultz said. “Just yesterday, what, 24 hours ago I was feeding horses in the morning.”
Two houses, two barns, three trailers and decades of accumulated possessions are gone.
All 52 horses survived, after a wild scramble to save them.
Fultz’s mother, 61-year-old Tricia Fultz, said everyone expected the fire to stay well south of their property, but shifting winds forced them to take the horses out to open pastures as quickly as they could.
Three were still in their pens when the adjacent barn caught fire, and Tricia Fultz just had to open the pens, burning her hands and hoping for the best.
She, her husband and six others rode out the fire in a tunnel a short distance up the road as the fire burned the hillsides above and all around them.
“It’s so surreal because it’s so dark, and when we’re in the tunnel you can’t see anything,” Tricia Fultz said. “There was so much burning and so much black.”
Ben Watkins drove through flames trying to get back to his home in Los Angeles.
He was driving from Santa Barbara when fire brought traffic to a stop and he decided to wait it out on a beach in Malibu, watching as the blaze drew closer.
Finally, he decided to make a run for it, hopping in his vehicle and driving home through flames that lapped at the Pacific Coast Highway.
“It’s survival mode,” Watkins said Saturday after making it home the day before. “You’re thinking about how you have to get home at all costs.”
The area burning in Southern California is in severe drought, U.S. government analysts said. California emerged from a five-year statewide drought last year but has had a very dry 2018, pushing parts of the state back into drought and leaving others, like the area of the Northern California fire, abnormally dry.
Firefighters spray water on a burning home Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Westlake Village, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
Evacuees from a wildfire rest on cots and blankets supplied by the Red Cross in the gymnasium at Taft Charter High School in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Richard Vogel
AP Photo
A home burns Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, as seen from a helicopter in the Calabasas section of Los Angeles. Flames driven by powerful winds torched dozens of hillside homes in Southern California, burning parts of tony Calabasas and mansions in Malibu and forcing tens of thousands of people — including some celebrities — to flee as the fire marched across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. The cause of the blazes was not known.
Mark J. Terrill
AP Photo
Fires burn toward the Pacific Ocean Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, as seen from a helicopter over Simi Valley, Calif. Flames driven by powerful winds torched dozens of hillside homes in Southern California, burning parts of tony Calabasas and mansions in Malibu and forcing tens of thousands of people — including some celebrities — to flee as the fire marched across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. The cause of the blazes was not known.
Mark J. Terrill
AP Photo
A firefighters is covered in smoke as he battles a wildfire Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Agoura Hills, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
The Woolsey Fire burns a home near Malibu Lake in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California has forced numerous celebrities to join the thousands fleeing flames that have claimed homes and prompted the total evacuation of the celebrity enclave Malibu.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A firefighter keeps watch as the charred remains of a burned out home are seen during the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
People cover their faces walk their dog as smoke from a wildfire fills the air during the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
The Woolsey Fire burns a home near Malibu Lake in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A home burns Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, as seen from a helicopter in the Calabasas section of Los Angeles. Flames driven by powerful winds torched dozens of hillside homes in Southern California, burning parts of tony Calabasas and mansions in Malibu and forcing tens of thousands of people — including some celebrities — to flee as the fire marched across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. The cause of the blazes was not known.
Mark J. Terrill
AP Photo
Fires burn toward homes Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, as seen from a helicopter over the Calabasas section of Los Angeles. Flames driven by powerful winds torched dozens of hillside homes in Southern California, burning parts of tony Calabasas and mansions in Malibu and forcing tens of thousands of people — including some celebrities — to flee as the fire marched across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. The cause of the blazes was not known.
Mark J. Terrill
AP Photo
Residents watch a home burn Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Westlake Village, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
Firefighters hose down a burning home Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Westlake Village , Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
Paramount Ranch, where a number of Hollywood westerns have been filmed, is seen after it was decimated by a wildfire Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Agoura Hills, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
Large plumes of smoke from a fast moving wildfire are seen in the background as volunteers care for evacuated horses at The Pierce College Equine Center where evacuees are bringing their large and small animals in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A wind-driven wildfire raged through Southern California communities on Friday, burning homes and forcing thousands of people to flee as it relentlessly pushed toward Malibu and the Pacific Ocean.
Richard Vogel
AP Photo
Park Billow, 27, sprays water on the hot spots in his backyard as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Authorities announced Friday that a quarter of a million people are under evacuation orders as wind-whipped flames rage through scenic areas west of Los Angeles and burn toward the sea.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A firefighter keeps watch as the Woolsey Fire burns a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. Winds are blamed for pushing the fire through scenic canyon communities and ridgetop homes.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A firefighter walks by the a burning home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. Winds are blamed for pushing the fire through scenic canyon communities and ridgetop homes.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire burning a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
The Woolsey Fire burns a palm tree in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A burned vehicle is seen on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A Spanish-style home is consumed by flames on Dume Drive in the Point Dume area of Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Known as the Woolsey Fire, it has consumed tens of thousands of acres and destroyed multiple homes.
Reed Saxon
AP Photo
Wind-driven flames from a wildfire race up a slope and cross the road in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Known as the Woolsey Fire, it has consumed tens of thousands of acres and destroyed multiple homes.
Reed Saxon
AP Photo
Palm trees frame a home being destroyed by a wildfire above Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Known as the Woolsey Fire, it has consumed tens of thousands of acres and destroyed multiple homes.
Reed Saxon
AP Photo
People lead horses and ponies down Pacific Coast Highway to an evacuation area at Zuma Beach in the Point Dume area of Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Known as the Woolsey Fire, it has consumed tens of thousands of acres and destroyed multiple homes.
Reed Saxon
AP Photo
Orlando Verganza wets down a property as flames from a wildfire approach in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Known as the Woolsey Fire, it has consumed tens of thousands of acres and destroyed multiple homes.
Reed Saxon
AP Photo
An air tanker drops flame retardant to protect homes as fires burn Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, as seen from a helicopter over the Calabasas section of Los Angeles. Flames driven by powerful winds torched dozens of hillside homes in Southern California, burning parts of tony Calabasas and mansions in Malibu and forcing tens of thousands of people — including some celebrities — to flee as the fire marched across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. The cause of the blazes was not known.
Mark J. Terrill
AP Photo
In this Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 photo, smoke from the wildires fills the air in Malibu, Calif. Los Angeles County fire Chief Daryl Osby said Saturday that firefighters told him they were working in the toughest, most extreme conditions they had seen in their lives on Friday night. He says conditions are far better Saturday, with a lull in winds that are expected to return Sunday. (Courtesy of Ben Watkins via AP)
AP
In this Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 photo, smoke from the wildires fills the air in Malibu, Calif. Los Angeles County fire Chief Daryl Osby said Saturday that firefighters told him they were working in the toughest, most extreme conditions they had seen in their lives on Friday night. He says conditions are far better Saturday, with a lull in winds that are expected to return Sunday. (Courtesy of Ben Watkins via AP)
AP
In this Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 photo, smoke from the wildires fills the air in Malibu, Calif. Los Angeles County fire Chief Daryl Osby said Saturday that firefighters told him they were working in the toughest, most extreme conditions they had seen in their lives on Friday night. He says conditions are far better Saturday, with a lull in winds that are expected to return Sunday. (Courtesy of Ben Watkins via AP)
AP
In this Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 photo, smoke from the wildires fills the air in Malibu, Calif. Los Angeles County fire Chief Daryl Osby said Saturday that firefighters told him they were working in the toughest, most extreme conditions they had seen in their lives on Friday night. He says conditions are far better Saturday, with a lull in winds that are expected to return Sunday. (Courtesy of Ben Watkins via AP)
AP
The charred remains of the burned out home are seen in Malibu, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. Officials took advantage of temporarily calm conditions Saturday to assess damage from the blaze that’s burned 109 square miles outside downtown Los Angeles.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
Alexander Tobolsky, right, and his girl friend Dina Arias, return to his home where burned out by the fire in Malibu, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. Officials took advantage of temporarily calm conditions Saturday to assess damage from the blaze that’s burned 109 square miles outside downtown Los Angeles.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
Residents Damon Webb, left, and Brendon O’neal clean up the road after the Woolsey fire burned in Malibu, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. Officials took advantage of temporarily calm conditions Saturday to assess damage from the blaze that’s burned 109 square miles outside downtown Los Angeles.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
Horses are tied to lifeguard booths on the beach in Malibu, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. Wildfires are burning in both Southern and Northern California.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo
A home is spared after a wildfire swept through Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Malibu, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
Firefighter Eric Santana, with the MRCA Fire Divison Santa Monica Mountains, looks for hot spots after a wildfire swept through Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Malibu, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
AP Photo
Horses are tied to lifeguard booths on the beach in Malibu, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. Wildfires are burning in both Southern and Northern California.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
AP Photo