TOPANGA CANYON—Firefighters halted a 2-acre brushfire scorching off the Fernwood and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) area of Topanga Canyon on Monday, November 30, after a solo vehicle collision with overhead power lines dispersed electrical sparks which ignited the surrounding brush of the area, the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (TCEP), a citizen operated emergency information outlet, reported.
At 9:20 p.m., a TCEP advisory alerted motorists and local Topanga residents of a brush fire blazing two miles north of the PCH within the inner roadways of Topanga Canyon, following a vehicle collision with roadside powerlines. TCEP warned residents of live wires strewn across the roadway and advised residents to “avoid the area.”
Los Angeles Sheriff Department (LASD) deputies on scene closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Old Topanga Canyon Road and PCH at 9:42 p.m., subsequently implementing traffic control in the area for all incoming southbound traffic. LASD officials marked an one-eighth acre growth of the brushfire at that time.
At 9:43 p.m. units from the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) attacked the inferno and entitled it the “Curve Fire.” LACoFD air units were subsequently released to aid in the firefight.
LACoFD personnel halted forward progress of the flames by 9:52 p.m., keeping it contained until electrical company officials from Southern California Edison (SCE) could arrive to de-energize the live wires.
By 10:10 p.m. the city of Malibu issued an alert indicating that the “Curve Fire” had been nearly extinguished.
A CalTrans spokesman announced at 11:25 p.m. that Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway were to remain closed for an unspecified duration of time, in both directions, until SCE personnel completely repaired the power lines.
As of Tuesday, December 1, officials have noted that the area is still closed for repairs with no projections as to the roadways’ reopening.
Details as to the injuries of the motorist, and the causes surrounding the collision were not divulged to the public.