Fire destroys Malibu mansions

MALIBU, Calif. — A wind-whipped fire raced through a row of coastal multimillion-dollar homes in Malibu on Monday, destroying four ocean-front residences and damaging another four structures and several vehicles.

More than 300 firefighters were dispatched to fight the fire, which was reported at 5:01 p.m. and charred about 20 acres around Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road. In all, 30 homes were threatened and the residents evacuated.

The blaze began inside Malibu Bluffs recreation area, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman. Wind-blown embers spread below to Malibu Road and set fire to the homes along the beach, he said. Malibu Mayor Ken Kearsley, who said he has lived through nine fires in his 40 years in the area, was driving past the blaze and saw flames 10 to 15 feet high blast south out of the park, pushed by 50-mph winds.

With the dense brush, the "elbow to elbow" homes along the oceanfront and the ravines along the bluff funneling wind and fire toward the homes, there was little chance of saving them, he said.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, with Kearsley calling the origin suspicious. Brush clearance around the area where the fire began is likely to be an issue in the days ahead.

By 8 p.m., officials said the fire was contained, and winds that blew the blaze to the ocean had calmed. One resident suffered smoke inhalation but was believed to be in good condition at a hospital.

The fire struck a section of the coastline known for its celebrity residents — pushing some into action.

"It started big and hot and exploded," said Victoria Principal, an actress famous for her role in TV's "Dallas," who was busy hosing down her house. "The wind was swirling. It moved so very quickly."

She said she offered people parking, food and water.

"We're very, very lucky," said Robert Brown, whose mother's house was spared though the houses on either side burned down. "Our neighbor's house to the left burned down, that was [actress] Suzanne Somers' house. Our house came out unscathed."

The burning homes were located near the midpoint of the 2 ½-mile Malibu Road, which runs beneath the bluff along the ocean front and is lined by about 60 to 70 houses. "People who live in that area range from insurance agents and schoolteachers to billionaires," Kearsley said.

Wildfires have claimed hundreds of homes and several lives in the Malibu-Topanga area over the past three decades, while costing taxpayers millions in disaster-relief bills.