Malibu has declared a local emergency due to worsening wildfire conditions, allowing the city to expedite the removal of homeless encampments in areas considered at high risk for fires.
Homeless Encampment Removal
The City Council unanimously approved the declaration after live fuel moisture levels in the Santa Monica Mountains dropped below the city’s 65% threshold for hazardous fire conditions. The latest measurement was 63%, down from 67%.
Malibu officials said the city’s 2026 homeless count identified 27 unhoused people and 16 dwellings, including tents, vehicles and makeshift shelters. The city, working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, cleared 44 encampments in 2025, 44 in 2024 and 29 in 2023.
The emergency declaration will remain in effect through the hazardous fire season until the city has received at least 2 inches of rain, live fuel moisture reaches at least 80%, and there have been no Fire Weather Watches or Red Flag Warnings during the preceding two weeks or in the extended forecast for Malibu.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
