Man Arrested After Hillside Brush Fire Erupts Off PCH In Malibu

MALIBU (CBSLA) – A man has been arrested in connection with a small brush fire which broke out in the Tuna Canyon area of Malibu early Friday morning, shutting down the Pacific Coast Highway.

The Tuna Fire was first reported at 5:03 a.m. just off the 18900 block of the PCH.

The slow-moving blaze moved uphill and scorched 1.5 acres before forward progress was halted just after 6 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department reports. A water-dropping helicopter also helped ground crews battle the blaze.

No homes were threatened. Crews were expected to remain on scene for several hours to monitor for hot spots and mop up, the fire department said.

L.A. County Sheriff's investigators arrested a homeless man in connection with the fire. A homeless encampment was also discovered near the fire. His name and the charges he faces were not immediately disclosed.

California Highway Patrol shut down the PCH in both directions between Topanga Canyon and Los Flores Canyon roads for several hours. They have since reopened.

The fire burned near the burn scar of the devastating 2018 Woolsey Fire.

The 97,000-acre Woolsey Fire broke out south of Simi Valley in November of 2018, jumped the south side of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas and spread into Malibu. The fire destroyed more than 1,500 structures and was responsible for three deaths.