A wind-whipped brushfire ignited in western Malibu today and spread from one to five acres in a matter of about 15 minutes. Within an hour, the incident was estimated at about 35 acres, including various spot fires that erupted as winds pushed the flames forward.
Dubbed the Bryson Fire, the blaze was first reported shortly before 5 p.m. near the intersection of Mullholland Highway and Encinal Canyon Road. The ignition point seems to be just north of Encinal in between the former Malibu Golf Club and Saddle Rock Ranch. More specifically, TV reports have the blaze starting right next to the Camp Kilpatrick juvenile detention center.
According to the Watch Duty app, evacuation warnings were issued from the L.A. County line in the north and south toward Point Dume. See map below.
Santa Ana winds were fanning the fire in the area at about 26 mph out of the NNE, according to a National Weather Service reading for the Malibu Hills. At 4:56 p.m., the temperature was 84 degrees with a relative humidity of 13%.
The area is sparsely populated with private estates set atop hills or within canyons, making firefighting access difficult. Among the properties in the area are Saddle Rock Ranch, a location used in The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The Biggest Loser, Better Things, Knight Rider, The A-Team and The Kardashians. Also nearby is the historic Calamigos Ranch, home to shoots for Love Is Blind, beverly Hills 90210, Rizzoli & Isles,The Biggest Loser, Wayne’s World 2, Grey’s Anatomy, The Bachelorette and The Bachelor.
The last major blaze to sweep through the area was the 2018 Woolsey Fire, meaning brush in most of those canyons has not been cleared for about eight years.
Water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were dispatched to the scene. A 1st alarm response had also been requested from Ventura County FD.
City News Service contributed to this report.
