Woolsey Fire burns 83,275 acres, 10 percent contained
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (FOX 11) - The Woolsey Fire, pushed by strong Santa Ana winds, burned 83,275 acres and is ten percent contained as of Sunday as it burned through Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The fire, which ignited Thursday afternoon, destroyed at least 177 homes and forced the evacuation of 75,000 homes and an estimated 265,000 people in both counties.
The flames turned what it touched to ash as it forced a citywide Malibu evacuation and sent residents scrambling to find a way out of the burn area.
SkyFOX flew over several areas hit by the fire on Saturday, including Malibu and West Hills:
No injuries were officially reported, but sheriff's detectives are investigating the discovery of two bodies in the 33000 block of Mulholland Highway.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said damage assessment teams will be in the areas effected by the fire throughout the day, determining how many structures were lost or damaged. And with a lull in the winds, Osby said firefighters will be establishing line perimeters as a means of controlling and knocking down the fire.
At least 200 deputies will be in the five Los Angeles County cities effected by the fire -- Westlake Village, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Malibu -- doing property evaluations and looking for any possible looters, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Chief John Benedict said.
"There is zero tolerance for any looting,'' Benedict said.
Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Eric Buschow said at least two people have been arrested on suspicion of looting in his county.
EVACUATION LIST FOR WOOLSEY AND HILL FIRES
As of Sunday evening, the entire city of Calabasas is now under mandatory evacuation orders. Residents are being told to leave according to City Manager, Gary Lysik.
Pepperdine announced that it has closed both its Malibu and Calabasas campuses until after Thanksgiving.
Previously, the university had said it would remain closed through Tuesday because of the nearby wildfires.
However, it's not a holiday: The university's website says classes will continue through online, email and remote assignments.
Pepperdine says all regularly scheduled classes and events held on both campuses will resume on November 26.
Los Angeles County fire strike teams and water dropping aircraft were working to contain the flames on or around the Pepperdine campus. No permanent structures have been lost, but video from the campus showed at least one vehicle and several bicycles scorched by flames.
The fire started in Ventura County but raced into Los Angeles County, chewed its way through brush and into neighborhoods of Westlake Village and Malibu. The fire reportedly jumped Pacific Coast Highway about 10 p.m. Friday, moving toward Malibu Colony.
Residents who evacuated from Malibu were directed to southbound Pacific Coast Highway, creating miles of stand-still traffic along the scenic route. Authorities wound up closing the road to all northbound traffic out of Santa Monica, allowing southbound motorists to use all four lanes.
FOX 11 reporter Gina Silva stood by with residents on Friday as the fire moved in on their Westlake Village homes.
“I couldn’t have imagined this in my worst nightmare,” one resident said.
National Park Service officials reported the famed Western Town at Paramount Ranch, a filming location for hundreds of TV and movie productions, including HBO's "Westworld,'' had burned to an unknown extent.
Here's a map of current evacuation perimeters (mobile app users, click here):
"We've been pushing this and pushing this," CalFire Capt. Scott McLean said in a phone interview early Friday morning. When those evacuations come, you have to go. There's no arguing. You have to go."
The Woolsey Fire was originally reported just south of Simi Valley and about 25 miles southwest of Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, where a gunman killed 12 people enjoying country line dancing at college night before killing himself.
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