MALIBU—On Wednesday, September 24, a homeless encampment fire was reported around 5 p.m. by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 88. The fire transpired along Stuart Ranch Road in on privately owned vacant land nearby the gated Malibu Racquet Club entrance.
The small cooking fire was contained within the encampment area (no spread) and was quickly put out by the firefighters. City staff and the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. identified the encampment this morning and had the individual removed while working with the property owner to have the encampment debris cleared immediately. This is the first homeless-related fire in 2025 that involved a Fire Department response.
The city of Malibu announced on its Facebook page that:
“To effectively address encampments, the City’s Homeless Outreach Team and Sheriff’s Department will work with LA County’s Emergency Centralized Response Center (ECRC) to facilitate same-day homeless shelter placements as needed. The ECRC was launched earlier this year to better coordinate homeless services and was a key resource for encampment clearances during the Franklin and Palisades Fires.”
The city has announced when there’s a threat to public safety like a cooking or warming fire, city staff and the Sheriff’s Department can immediately remove an encampment, even without the city’s fire season emergency declaration in place. (The City Council will consider the emergency declaration at the next Council meeting).
For more details on the Malibu’s efforts to address homelessness, visit www.MalibuCity.org/Homelessness.
By Danny Jones