Southern California wildfire spreads, prompting evacuations

A wildfire burning in the hills of Malibu in Southern California has spread across 809,000 square metres, prompting evacuation warnings and orders as authorities caution that strong winds are increasing the risk of fires.

According to CBS News on Thursday (15 October), the blaze, known as the Bryson Fire, began in the Encinal Canyon area, near the Camp Kilpatrick juvenile detention facility.

Los Angeles County authorities have issued evacuation warnings and orders covering areas extending towards Leo Carrillo State Park, Pepperdine University and the Pacific coast.

Pepperdine University said the fire was about eight miles north-west of its Malibu campus. It added that winds were blowing south-west, away from the university.

“At this time, the fire does not pose a threat to Pepperdine’s Malibu campus,” the university said on X.

Camp Kilpatrick officials evacuated 38 teenagers from the facility and moved them to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar.

“We understand that evacuations can be a stressful experience for teenagers and their families,” the Los Angeles County Probation Department said. It added that staff were providing support and that parents and legal guardians had been informed of the situation.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said city officials were closely monitoring developments, although the fire remained outside the city limits.

Bass said the Los Angeles Fire Department was “ready to respond to any fire threat that may arise”. She added that resources had been placed on standby at several locations, including the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains and west Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, power company Southern California Edison carried out precautionary power cuts for public safety, affecting more than 60,000 residents.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning, forecasting moderate to strong Santa Ana winds that could raise fire danger to critical levels through Saturday.