MALIBU (CNS) - More evacuation orders due to the nine-day-old Woolsey Fire were lifted Friday in the Malibu and Topanga areas, amid expressions of frustration by residents over the slow pace of repopulating areas because of road closures.
Late Friday morning, evacuation orders were lifted in the Topanga area from Pacific Coast Highway to Mulholland Drive, along with all areas north of the Malibu city limit, south of the Ventura (101) Freeway, east of Malibu Canyon Road and west of the Los Angeles city limit.
Some road restrictions remained in place in the affected areas, however, and residents of Piuma Canyon were advised that they would need to access their homes via Cold Canyon Road or the eastern entrance to Piuma Canyon Road, with no access to the area allowed from Malibu Canyon Road.
Fire officials announced the full reopening of the Malibu Civic Center, including the area from Malibu Canyon Road on the west to Serra Road on the east, between the ocean and the Malibu city limit on the north. A boil water advisory for Malibu was also lifted.
Later Friday, more unincorporated areas near Agoura Hills were reopened to residents with identification.
Fire officials warned people returning to their homes to beware of changing fire conditions and adhere to road closures and shifting evacuation zones.
"Burned out power poles, burned and damaged homes, debris-filled roadways, broken gas lines and burned guard rails pose serious safety hazards to residents attempting to return to the area," according to a statement from fire officials.
"... The Woolsey Fire is unlike any previous fire in the Santa Monica Mountains due to the vast destruction and devastation to homes and critical infrastructure."
Firefighters took advantage of weaker winds and increased humidity levels Friday to increase containment of the deadly fire, which charred 98,362 acres and was 78 percent contained, with full containment expected Monday. However, offshore Santa Ana winds of the kind that plagued the region until late Wednesday afternoon are expected to return Sunday afternoon.
Since erupting on Nov. 8 in Ventura County, the fire has destroyed 713 structures and damaged 201 others.
A firefighter from Washington state was injured early Thursday morning when he was struck by a vehicle, apparently while resting or sleeping at a camp area along Pacific Coast Highway near Dear Creek Road in Ventura County.
According to reports from the scene, the vehicle was driven by a person who lives in the area, and ran over the sleeping firefighter. The firefighter was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks with injuries that authorities said were not life-threatening.
The firefighter is from South Kitsap Fire and Rescue in Washington state.
Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with fire commanders in Camarillo Thursday morning to get an assessment of the damage and the continuing firefight.
President Donald Trump -- who initially lashed out at California's forest-management policies as a cause of the destructive blazes -- will visit the state Saturday to "meet with individuals impacted by the wildfires," according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters. His detailed schedule was not released, but it is expected the trip will include a visit to the area ravaged by the deadly Camp Fire in Northern California.
It was unclear if Trump's trip will include a stop in Southern California.
The death toll from the fire rose to three on Wednesday, with the discovery of a charred body in a burned-out home in the 32000 block of Lobo Canyon Road near Agoura Hills. Family members said the victim was 73-year-old Alfred Deciutiis, a retired oncologist. His death has been listed by fire officials as one of three deaths related to the fire.
The other two victims of the fire were found last Friday in a burned- out vehicle on a long driveway in the 33000 block of Mulholland Highway. Authorities said they suspect the driver became disoriented amid the flames.
Pepperdine University remained closed, along with Puerco Canyon Road north of the hard gate, the Corral Canyon Park and Malibu Beach RV Park. Malibu Canyon Road was closed north of Civic Center Way.
Pepperdine officials announced the campus would be without power for 12 hours beginning at 8 a.m. Monday as Southern California Edison can replace four transmission poles damaged in the fire.
Fire information for Los Angeles County can be found at www.lacounty.gov/woolseyfire.
Malibu also has established a website to update fire information at www.malibucity.org/woolsey.
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