Brushfire at Topanga School Road Extinguished Quickly
A small brush fire, named The School Fire, was reported at Topanga School Road and Old Topanga Canyon Road on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at about
12:30 p.m.
Engine 69 firefighters rolled up to the scene immediately and found Topanga residents pointing toward the fire.
“When we got to the “Y” at Old Canyon and New Canyon, a citizen was pointing up Old Canyon, but we determined there was no access from there,” reported a Captain from Fire Station 69. “So, we turned around and went up Topanga School Road, where we determined the fire was right there behind the water tank. We had a hydrant and were able to pull lines; the water was right there.”
Another source reported that Camp 8 air support was grounded because of the heavy marine layer, so two helicopters, loaded with water, were dispatched from 69 Bravo as backup. The ground crews were on it right away and, luckily, the winds were light. The fire was contained to such a small area that the helicopters couldn’t drop water without hitting the fire crews and air support was called off.
The Captain reported that the quarter-acre brush fire was extinguished quickly, around 1:07 p.m., according to TCEP.
“We stayed to mop up and to do it fully. We left a layer of foam solution on top to help the water penetrate the fuel,” the Captain said. “There was no property loss and no injuries; it burned a little brush on the hillside, the ‘copters were overhead, but we got our hose lines on it quickly enough to take it down ourselves. It took three engine companies, camp firefighters, two patrols and two call firemen,” he said.
The school fire began around 12:30 p.m. on October 21 and was contained shortly after 1 p.m. Photo by Luis Moreno