Crime & Safety
Firefighters Quickly Douse Half-Acre Fire
A woman swerving to avoid a coyote struck a power pole, downing some powerlines and sparking a half-acre fire in Malibu, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Firefighters quickly doused a half-acre brush fire in Malibu Tuesday that was sparked when a vehicle crashed into a power pole, downing some power lines.
The blaze was reported at 11:49 a.m. Tuesday on Latigo Canyon Road and Ocean View Drive in Malibu, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The flames quickly spread to half an acre, but firefighters were able to get the upper hand.
No structures were threatened, the fire department reported. Two helicopters and up to 10 fire engines responded to the fire.
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A woman swerving to avoid a coyote crashed into a power pole just before noon, causing some wires to come down, California Highway Patrol Officer Benny Avila said.
Latigo Canyon Road was closed from Pacific Coast Highway to Kanan Dume Road, and could be shut down until 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Find out what's happening in Malibuwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
More than 3,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power, according to SCE's website.
David Pepper of Malibu said he saw smoke near Latigo Canyon Road and a helicopter just after noon.
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