LACFD reported that the fire had jumped the 101. Photo: Dan Dolinh
Nature is proving once again what a mean beast she can be as the massive “Woosley” wildfire that started near Thousand Oaks, Calif. and exploded overnight is now barreling towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, forcing the evacuations of the small surf burg along with other parts of Ventura County. “It’s working its way through the Santa Monica Mountains and it literally looks like the apocalypse,” The Inertia‘s Alex Haro told me as he was evacuating from his home in those same foothills near California’s most iconic surf village.
Early this morning the Los Angeles County Fire Department tweeted that the ferocious inferno had jumped the 101 Freeway and was working its way towards the Pacific Ocean, and informing the public of the mandatory evacuations:
#WhoolseyFire *URGENT SAFETY MESSAGE* Fire has jumped the 101 fwy near Chesebro and is headed to Ocean Mandatory Evacuations, 101 Fwy to the coast between Las Virgenes Cyn /Malibu Cyn Rd. to the LA County line. Imminent threat! Malibu lakes residents must leave area immediately.
— LACounty Fire PIO (@LACoFDPIO) November 9, 2018
The Associated Press reported that two-thirds of Malibu had been evacuated as of this A.M. Santa Anna winds, usually a blessing to surfers, have fanned the inferno as it makes its run west. Local surfer Andrew Jacobson posted this unnerving shot to Instagram and updated people in his stories. Needless to say, things don’t look good:
View this post on Instagram
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
