The Palisades fire continues to plague firefighters.
The northern edge of the fire is the area of greatest concern, from Mandeville Canyon on the northeast side to Monte Nido on the northwest edge and the Topanga area in between, said Robert Clark, a fire behavior analyst with the California Department of Fire and Incident Management. All the way to Sylvia Park. Team 2.
The Palisades Fire is a tough inferno to discuss, and it's hard to predict where the flames will go next as they move through the complex terrain of mountains and valleys in shifting, ebb and flow winds. Some areas of the canyon are protected from the wind, but then the terrain takes over and flames start.
“It's always a battle with wind speed and terrain, and one can overwhelm the other,” Clark said.
In the Santa Monica Mountains, about five miles north of Malibu, the small residential community of Montenido is of particular concern, with stronger winds expected late Monday night and late Tuesday morning.
The fire was contained in the Mandeville Canyon area Saturday and overnight, with air tankers dropping retardant and helicopters spraying water, but the area is still out of danger.
“The weather forecast is that there's always a chance that those strong winds could cause the fire to spread or ignite outside the containment lines,” Clark said.
Clark said current wind patterns in Santa Ana mean areas east of the fire, including the Riviera area of Pacific Palisades, Brentwood Heights and other areas just west of Highway 405, are somewhat protected from gusty winds. Ta. “The strongest winds are not expected in that area,” Clark said. “We can still get some wind, but it won’t be as strong as in the western part of the fire.”
To the south, there is no fire threat at this time in Santa Monica as fires are already contained in those areas. “We do not expect the fire to spread to that area,” Clark said.
The northeastern edge of the fire near Encino is another area where firefighters have slowed their progress. The fire engulfed San Vicente Mountain Park and was contained using bulldozed control lines and trails, fire roads and unpaved sections of Mulholland Drive, Clark said.
“But we can't say never. There's always the possibility that something abnormal will happen,” Clark said.
Significant fire conditions, including wind, low relative humidity and dry vegetation, are expected to remain a concern for the Palisades Fire through at least Wednesday night.
