Home Care In Topanga, CA

Road crews are continuing to clear a mudslide that blocked access to the historic Topanga Canyon outside Los Angeles following the devastating Palisades Fire last month.

The mudslide sloshed into the canyon early Jan. 27, forcing the closure of SR-27. Caltrans on Feb. 2 said the road would be closed indefinitely, and on Saturday, Feb. 8, announced that a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, where the Topanga Canyon Road starts, would remain closed indefinitely.

Drone footage taken Friday also shows huge piles of mud covering Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Caltrans noted that more storms are expected early next week, and that debris basins that usually divert mudslides are already 80% full.

Video posted by the Caltrans agency shows stretches of the road covered in thick, dark mud, towering above the excavators removing blockages. In some areas, Caltrans workers used snowplows to push the mud off the roadway.

Even before the rains, rockslides loosed by the wildfire had tumbled onto the road. Experts had warned toxic mudslides posed a significant danger to the area following the fire, because it destroyed the trees and vegetation holding down the canyon's soil and rocks.

"Initial inspections have found fire-related damage, impacting many structures within state right-of-way, including retaining walls, slopes, guard rails, drainage, signs, traffic signals, and traffic control systems," Caltrans said in a statement. "Caltrans is exploring options for limited access, if feasible, and will maintain access for emergency responders during the closure. There is no estimated time of reopening."

A similar landslide in March 2024 blocked the road for months. About 14,000 vehicles a day use the road, according to CalTrans.

Topanga Canyon's road connects the Pacific Coast Highway with the inland San Fernando Valley, and is home to a small, rural community.

Among those who’ve called Topanga home or passed through are musicians and songwriters Neil Young, Jim Morrison and Danny Elfman, along with actor Joshua Jackson, star of "Doctor Odyssey," whose house burned down in the Palisades Fire.

Contributing: Reuters

Matthias Gafni

San Francisco Chronicle

(TNS)

Jan. 9—Topanga — Jonathan Wood saw the Instagram post Thursday and jumped onto his dirt bike to head into Topanga. Talk to Derek, he was told when volunteering to join the renegade fire brigade.

The gang would help with structure protection in the small artist and musician community of about 8,000 residents who have felt abandoned during the Southern California firestorm that began Tuesday. Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains in Topanga Canyon, Topanga is flanked by Malibu on one side and Pacific Palisades on the other — two ultra-wealthy places that have lost countless properties to the raging Palisades Fire.

As buildings in those neighboring communities burned with no firefighters in sight, the group calling themselves the Topanga Heat Hawks swiftly took action: The ragtag group of artists and musicians in the wooded valley created their own fire brigade. While others evacuated, these friends and neighbors stayed to fight despite the mandatory evacuation orders.

On Thursday afternoon, with a chainsaw and shovel attached to the front fork of his dirt bike in Mad Max fashion, Wood and two of his friends raced down a hill to wet down a home construction site.

"We're staying out of the way of the professionals," said Wood, who has been in Topanga for a year, building two properties. "We're cutting anything that's needed, spraying water."

Fire officials have repeatedly warned the public against staying back to protect properties, saying that such actions put lives at risk and could result in firefighting resources being diverted from extinguishing the blaze to rescuing people.

On Thursday, Cal Fire and other fire agencies worked around the volunteers, preparing hose lines and monitoring fire activity in the steep valley. Cody "Toad" Webb, one of the organizers, said they limited volunteers to make sure there was ample parking and clear roads.

On a text thread titled "Astral Zealots," residents began organizing fire protection in their community when they felt that fire equipment and attention was heading elsewhere during the series of massive blazes.

"The fire has been crazy," said Webb, as he stood outside the town's library and adhoc Heat Hawk's headquarters. He bartends at Endless Color just down Topanga Canyon Boulevard, the main road that provides the community's two exits east and west. "There's not been enough support. Mostly because the winds have been so crazy."

The Palisades Fire has been butting right up against the town and snatching homes on the perimeter, Webb said.

Webb initially evacuated Tuesday to his family's home in Calabasas and was bowling when he started to get text messages from residents warning of the severity of the fire and asking for help. He packed his bags again and returned home.

"Everyone was like, 'Why are you going back? '" Webb recalled. "The only real answer is this community is not like others ... and they needed boots on the ground."

On Wednesday, Derek Mabra, a longtime resident, posted on his Instagram page asking for help.

"A secondary volunteer fire patrol and defense action brigade has been formed in topanga. If you have experience doing landscaping, cutting wood, shoveling, dirt, watering gardens, and or forest fires, send me a direct message or text me."

He left his number. He got inundated with residents eager to pitch in. All asking for Derek.

At the library, residents collected fire extinguishers, shovels, hoses, walkie talkies, food and water. They kept a database of who had swimming pools in case that water was needed. They used the library's wifi to organize.

A white board dictated the rules of the brigade. Stay upwind of the fire, keep away from flames, avoid inhaling smoke and don't put yourself at risk. Someone spray painted "Supply Drop Heat Hawks" in red on a canvas sign draped over a boulder.

"This is a thing that just came together. We didn't plan it before," Webb said. "The vibe's been to get kids and pets out and to get back up to help."

Wearing a leather vest and red Vans canvas sneakers, the 28-year-old spoke to a reporter as the street buzzed with activity.

"We're running on nicotine and caffeine," he said, popping a Zyn pouch into his upper lip. "We're a bunch of artists and musicians posing as firefighters."

A helicopter circled above, dropping water onto flames in the canyon. At one point, a structure went up in flames, sending dark smoke billowing on the ridge above the library.

Webb described how on Wednesday it took eight hours for Topanga to get an aerial tanker, compared to just 40 minutes at the Hollywood Hills fire.

"If Quentin Tarantino's house burns down it's more important than if a bunch of hippies lose their homes," he said.

Earlier in the day, a neighbor vacationing in Costa Rica asked Webb to pull documents from their house. He broke their glass window as he felt the heat of the fire against his back. He tried to save cats for another neighbor.

"In this canyon, there's a lot of music, art, weirdness and dance parties in the mountains," Webb said, as he pointed out volunteers who had their own bands. " Topanga Canyon is like Laurel Canyon in the '70s."

That connection brought everyone back, he said.

As a woman grabbed Webb to ask questions about donations, a resident in glasses walked up, looked down at the "Heat Hawks" spray-painted sign and asked no one in particular: "I'm looking for somebody named Derek."

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The devastating wildfires in California have claimed two significant pieces of California’s cultural heritage: Actor Will Rogers’ historic ranch house and the Topanga Ranch Motel, built by William Randolph Hearst. The news was confirmed by California State Parks director Armando Quintero, as the Palisades fire continued to spread across nearly 20,000 acres, destroying over 5,600 structures in its wake.

"California State Parks mourns the loss of these treasured natural and cultural resources, and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area," Quintero stated in an official release. The fire, fueled by wind gusts reaching up to 80 miles per hour, ravaged both Will Rogers State Historic Park and parts of Topanga State Park.

Clockwise, from bottom left: Exterior of the stables at the Will Rogers esate before the fire, exterior of the ranch home, living room inside Will Rogers’ ranch house, living room after the fire, exterior of the stables after the fire.

Rogers' estate, a sprawling 359-acre property overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Pacific Palisades, featured a 31-room ranch house along with guest accommodations, stables, corrals, a golf course, and riding trails. The property, donated to the state by Rogers' widow, Betty, in 1944, had served as a living museum dedicated to the memory of Hollywood's highest-paid actor of the 1930s.

Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, Rogers' great-granddaughter, provided perspective on the loss in a statement: "While the loss to the Will Rogers Ranch is devastating, it pales in comparison to the loss of the property and businesses, and more importantly, the lives of those in the surrounding area." The Cherokee Nation, acknowledging Rogers' heritage, also expressed their solidarity through Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who extended "thoughts and prayers to great-granddaughter Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry and family."

"While the loss to the Will Rogers Ranch is devastating, it pales in comparison to the loss of the property and businesses, and more importantly, the lives of those in the surrounding area."

The Topanga Ranch Motel, built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in 1929, was also destroyed (ELLE DECOR is part of the Hearst Corporation). The 30-room bungalow-style establishment, which initially housed Pacific Coast Highway construction workers, had become a beloved affordable vacation spot for families and writers. The state had acquired the property in 2001 and had been planning to restore 20 of its cabins for public use.

Clockwise, from bottom left: The Topanga Ranch Motel before the Palisades Fire, hotel signage after the fire, the remains of the hotel after the fire.

In a small victory amid the devastation, park employees managed to save some "cultural and historic artifacts," including artwork from the Rogers estate, as well as the horses housed on the property. The fires continue to threaten the Los Angeles area, with officials reporting 10 fatalities and over 10,000 structures destroyed across four separate wildfires that broke out across the region Tuesday.

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Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE Decor, where she manages the brand's social media presence and covers trends, lifestyle, and culture in the design world. Julia built her background at Inked magazine, where she grew their social media audiences by two million, conducted interviews with A-list celebrities, and penned feature articles focusing on pop culture, art and lifestyle. Over her five years of digital media experience, Julia has written about numerous topics, from fashion to astrology.

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The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, located across from Topanga Beach in Malibu, has been destroyed in the devastating Palisades Fire that began erupting across Los Angeles Tuesday and has so far scorched more than 27,000 acres across the region.

The fire fueled by extreme Santa Ana winds with gusts up to 80 mph "destroyed parts of Topanga State Park, including the historic Topanga Ranch Motel once owned by William Randolph Hearst," California State Parks News said in a news release Wednesday.

“California State Parks mourns the loss of these treasured natural and cultural resources, and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area,” State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a statement.

Quintero added "all available resources" were being directed towards emergency response effort and the agency was "working to secure and protect as much as we can at affected nearby state parks."

"We are deeply grateful to our parks staff and all partner agencies for their swift actions," Quintero said. "Our top priority remains the safety of the public, our employees and the responders bravely battling the fires.”

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Damages at Topanga State Park

The Palisades Fire that erupted around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday destroyed the Topanga Ranch Motel as well as state park employee residences, according to California State Parks. It also singed Will Rogers’ historic ranch house and other historic buildings at nearby Will Rogers State Historic Park.

While a full assessment of the damages and losses isn’t immediately available, the agency said there have been more than 30 structural losses at Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Park.

History of Topanga Ranch Motel

The bungalow-style Topanga Ranch Motel was built by San Francisco native and millionaire mining engineer William Randolph Hearst in 1929. The 30-room structure, located across from Topanga Beach, once housed Pacific Coast Highway construction workers and later offered an "inexpensive seaside holiday vacation retreat for families and writers," according to California State Parks. The motel was also a popular location for film and television.

State Parks acquired the motel in 2001 and plans to restore 20 of the cabins for public use again were underway in recent years.

Other landmarks and historic sites damaged by the recent fires include Palisades Charter High School, Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, Theatre Palisades and The Reel Inn.

This story was updated to fix a misspelling.

Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

As a massive wildfire continues raging in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, thousands of structures, including historic ones, have already been destroyed.

State officials confirmed homes and structures were destroyed by the Palisades Fire at Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park.

Both parks were quickly closed off after the fire ignited on Jan. 7. However, the fast-moving blaze quickly reached Topanga State Park before moving onto Will Rogers Park territory later that night.

Over 30 structures were burned to the ground including:

“California State Parks mourns the loss of these treasured natural and cultural resources and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “Since yesterday afternoon, we are directing all available resources into the emergency response effort and working to secure and protect as much as we can at affected nearby state parks.”

Officials said they are still working on a full assessment of the damages and losses. Workers at Will Rogers Park were able to evacuate horses on the property to safety, along with some cultural and historical artifacts, including artwork.

The 359-acre land that encompasses Will Rogers State Park was purchased by Hollywood actor Will Rogers in the 1920s. He developed the land into a ranch and built a 31-room ranch house with neighboring guest housing, a stable, corrals, a golf course and riding trails. His widow donated the ranch to State Parks in 1944 before it became a historic park.

The Topanga Ranch Motel was built in 1929 by William Randolph Hearst. The 30-room structure once housed Pacific Coast Highway construction workers.

Located across from Topanga Beach, the motel offered visitors an inexpensive seaside holiday vacation and later became a popular film and television location. State Parks acquired the motel in 2001 with plans to restore around 20 cabins for public use.

The Palisades Fire continues to burn Wednesday night, expanding over 15,800 acres as fire crews work to contain the blaze.

“We are deeply grateful to our parks staff and all partner agencies for their swift actions,” Quintero said. “Our top priority remains the safety of the public, our employees and the responders bravely battling the fires.”