Highlands Fire: Officials Assess Issues

A city helicopter had to divert a 360-gallon water drop-off during the Palisades Highlands fire because residents were using the fire road illegally to get back to their homes, city and public safety officials learned at a debriefing meeting held at the Palisades Branch Library on Thursday, May 22.

The closed road, linking Lachman Lane in Marquez Knolls to Monte Hermoso Drive and Pierda Morada Drive in the Highlands, is never to be used for public access according to Pat Butler, assistant to the Los Angeles Fire Department chief in the special operations division.

“I know communication matters most in these incidents,” Butler said. “I saw one woman who said she needed to get to her kids.”

The LAFD officials, Los Angeles police officials, Senior Counsel Norman Kulla from Councilmember Mike Bonin’s office, the Palisades Highlands Presidents Council and its security company ADT all assessed what worked and what did not during the May 4 brush fire that remains under investigation.

More than 250 firefighters from across L.A. and at least three helicopters battled the blaze for more than four hours. It burned less than five acres.

No one was hurt, no structures were damaged and no evacuation orders were placed, but officials learned that there was still some chaos in the immediate hour following the start of the brush fire.

Butler, who spent days fighting the latest wildfires in San Diego, said when there’s a preplan in place for a fast-moving brush fire during red flag conditions, they have a shelter in place and an order for fire engines to be pre-deployed around the city to the most affected neighborhoods.

If evacuations were ordered for the Highlands, Butler said they would route trucks up Palisades Dr. and open up the fire road for engines to traverse. Then they would coordinate any movement on it.

Pacific Palisades Community Council area representative Paul Glasgall said someone cut the lock to the gate of the fire road to get back into the Highlands, and Butler confirmed they received 911 calls from Highlands residents expressing concern for that road.

“It was diverting resources away from that fire,” Butler said. “I think the folk’s intent was to get home, but convenience should never trump safety.”

LAPD West Bureau Commander Dennis Kato, West L.A. Division Captain Evangelyn Nathan and Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore said its role is to make sure LAFD can get to the scene quickly and to make sure traffic or residents are not in the way of the fire department.

Nathan noted that it will never be perfect communication in the first hour when all first responders are focusing on is stopping the emergency and following the needs of the firefighters.

Kulla said Councilmember Bonin’s organized evacuation drill in nearby Mandeville Canyon on May 18, which involved more than 800 vehicles and just under 1,000 residents,  caused some chaos. “That was a planned evacuation and there was still chaos,” Kulla said.

The officials pitched the idea of doing a similar drill in the Highlands in the future, as well as holding more meetings about best practices for wildfires. In addition, everyone agreed to include local security firms, like ADT, in the safety communications plan.