Road Closure May Hinder Firefighters, Official Warns

As fire season picks up, the continued closure of Kanan-Dume Road may have “significant” consequences on firefighting efforts, Assistant County Fire Chief Steven Alexander warned Thursday.

The road was closed last year after heavy rains and remains shut, with the financially strapped city unable to raise funds for repairs.

“There are two emergency gates on the road. At each gate, we have to get out of the rig and open it, then get up to speed,” said Alexander, who estimated the resulting delays at several minutes.

“In our business, any delay is virtually unacceptable,” he said.

Not only has “one of our three major north-south routes been taken out of play,” the closure has also resulted in increased congestion on Malibu Canyon Road and Topanga Canyon Road, making access to fires more difficult, he said. “And in a large scale [fire], we’re going to get fire units coming from all directions.”

“Without the Santa Ana winds, we’re handling the fires,” he said. But come September, October and November, “it’s as dry as it’s going to get. So it’ll be very critical we be able to move as quickly as possible.”