California Wildfires

50-acre brush fire spreads to at least one home on Malibu coast

The Broad Fire was burning just off Pacific Coast Highway on the Los Angeles County coast.

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A brush fire on the Malibu coast was fueled by strong winds on Wednesday.

A brush fire on the Malibu coast spread to about 50 acres near seaside homes on a day of strong wind gusts in Los Angeles County.

The Broad Fire was reported at about 9 a.m. in what firefighters described as medium fuel. The fire was at about 50 acres near Malibu Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway, which was closed between Webb Way and Corral Canyon.

At least two water-dropping helicopters responded to the area. Smoke could be seen drifting over the area.

A statement from the city of Malibu warned residents to be prepared for potential evacuations and power outages, but firefighters gained ground and increased containment to 15 percent by midday.

Video appeared to show at least one home on fire. The fire department said two structures have been damaged by flames.

Details about how the fire started were not immediately available. There were no reports of injuries.

The fire was burning on a day of strong winds in Southern California, conditions that could cause fires the rapidly spread in dry brush.

Another brush fire broke out at about the same time in the Ventura County community of Moorpark.

California's latest statewide wildfire update shows a staggering increase in the number of acres burned compared to last year. As of Monday, Cal Fire reported more than 1 million acres have burned since the start of the year. At this point last year, only 308,000 acres had burned.

The five-year average is 1.2 million acres through Nov. 4.

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