1978 Agoura-Malibu Firestorm
Encyclopedia
On October 23, 1978, at least eight significant wildfires began in the Los Angeles
area. At around noon that day, an arsonist started a fire that eventually burned 25,000 acres from Cornell
to Broad Beach in Malibu. The first fire alarm in Agoura was reported at 12:11 PM, and by 2:30 PM, the fire had reached the Pacific Ocean
13 miles south in Malibu. It had been declared a Level 2 (maximum emergency) fire at 1:57 PM.
As the fires spread through the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains
over the next four days, a total of 230 homes were destroyed in Agoura
and Malibu, and in the Los Angeles communitity of Mandeville Canyon to the east. 254 other structures were also destroyed. The fire was contained on September 25 and controlled on September 27. 136 engine companies, 28 camp crews, eight bulldozers, six helicopters and six fixed wing air tankers helped fight this fire.
Known at the "Agoura-Malibu Firestorm" and the "Mandeville Canyon Fire", these two major fires were fueled by winds as high as 60 MPH and extremely dry conditions. Residents of Agoura were evacuated to Whizin's Shopping Center in Agoura Hills
and some reported seeing thousand-foot-high, arching flames cresting over Ballard Mountain.
Damage caused by the group of fires burning throughout the area was estimated at $71.4 million, according to California officials. Three people were killed and 50 were injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department
.
A 15 year old Agoura youth was arrested for starting the fire, and sentenced to be confined in the California Youth Authority until his 21st birthday. Arson investigators determined that he had used a lit cigarette wrapped in a matchbook to set the fire.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. At around noon that day, an arsonist started a fire that eventually burned 25,000 acres from Cornell
Cornell, California
Cornell is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California. It is located south-southeast of Agoura Hills.A post office operated at Cornell from 1884 to 1904, with a closure during part of 1890...
to Broad Beach in Malibu. The first fire alarm in Agoura was reported at 12:11 PM, and by 2:30 PM, the fire had reached the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
13 miles south in Malibu. It had been declared a Level 2 (maximum emergency) fire at 1:57 PM.
As the fires spread through the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
over the next four days, a total of 230 homes were destroyed in Agoura
Agoura, California
Agoura is an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, which is located southeast of the city of Agoura Hills, California, adjacent to the city of Calabasas in Los Angeles County. Agoura was the historical name of the area, before much of the area was developed and before the incorporation of the...
and Malibu, and in the Los Angeles communitity of Mandeville Canyon to the east. 254 other structures were also destroyed. The fire was contained on September 25 and controlled on September 27. 136 engine companies, 28 camp crews, eight bulldozers, six helicopters and six fixed wing air tankers helped fight this fire.
Known at the "Agoura-Malibu Firestorm" and the "Mandeville Canyon Fire", these two major fires were fueled by winds as high as 60 MPH and extremely dry conditions. Residents of Agoura were evacuated to Whizin's Shopping Center in Agoura Hills
Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and has the ZIP code 91301. The population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, down from 20,537 at the 2000 census. It is located in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. This city on the Ventura...
and some reported seeing thousand-foot-high, arching flames cresting over Ballard Mountain.
Damage caused by the group of fires burning throughout the area was estimated at $71.4 million, according to California officials. Three people were killed and 50 were injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
.
A 15 year old Agoura youth was arrested for starting the fire, and sentenced to be confined in the California Youth Authority until his 21st birthday. Arson investigators determined that he had used a lit cigarette wrapped in a matchbook to set the fire.