Arrests Made In Malibu Fire

You might be saying to yourself, "that's nice, but what does all of this have to do with gossip?" Be patient, and you will be rewarded.

Authorities arrested five men Thursday on allegations they caused a fire that destroyed more than 50 homes and caused over $100 million in losses in Malibu. Investigators used surveillance video, receipts and food wrappers to track down the men who were believed to have been at the cave where the fire started, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.

Baca said the men, all from the Los Angeles area, were suspected of recklessly causing a fire with bodily injury, causing fire to an inhabited structure and arson during an emergency.
Each charge carries two to four years of prison time upon conviction.

Investigators found several pieces of evidence that indicated revelers had triggered the blaze by setting a campfire at a popular party spot by a cave. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said campfires in the area were prohibited.

Arson detective Irma Gonzales said 12 people had been partying at the cave. She did not comment on how the blaze spread from the campfire, but said the group did not try to fight it, nor did they try to warn residents as they fled from the flames.

"They just drove off," Gonzales said.

A review of security tape from a nearby store's camera and other detective work that took investigators as far away as Shasta County, on the Oregon line, led to the arrest warrants, Whitmore said.

The wildfire destroyed 53 homes, 33 outbuildings, one mobile home and 37 vehicles. Another 34 homes and 11 outbuildings were damaged. No one was seriously injured. The fire broke out Nov. 24 and took several days to contain.

Now how does any of this affect you? Well as general gossip readers it probably doesn't, but as readers of this blog, you all have a personal connection to this fire. I really haven't said anything prior to this because, honestly there wasn't any point. One of the homes that was destroyed in the fires was Dominique Swain's childhood home. It is the home that her father still lived in, and when the fire came rushing at him, the only things he had time to save were the animals and one photo album. Nothing else. No clothes, no nothing. The only thing a family has to show for 30 years in a house is one photo album and their own personal memories. The laughter, the tears, the fights. Everything gone.

You might be saying to yourself that the federal government will take care of everything because the area was declared a disaster area. Not true. This week I got a call from the family to try and help because they were getting the runaround from FEMA and some other government agencies. They are doing everything possible to try and make everything as difficult as possible.

Throughout it all, DS's dad is just a stoic figure who says that things will work out in the end. They may, but it won't be because of anything the government is doing. His attitude stems from the fact that he thought the fires were caused by a natural act. The fact that people were partying in a cave, caused the fire and then did absolutely nothing but drive away when it started is beyond me. They didn't try and put out the fire, but worst of all is they didn't even call anyone for help or advise police or fire departments that a fire was out of control.

Instead they just drove away and completely destroyed the lives of 53 families and millions of memories.