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PCH Is Reopened In Both Directions Near Temescal Canyon In Palisades, Officials Still Investigating Cause Of Brush Fire

PACIFIC PALISADES (CBSLA) - Pacific Coast Highway is reopened after being closed for several hours after another brush fire in the Pacific Palisades Monday.

Flames likely starting in thick brush at the base of a steep hillside just east of Temescal Canyon threatened to get out of control, but fire crews were able to contain it.

Just a week ago, a brush fire in the Palisades burned nearly 1,200 acres and forced evacuations. A homeless person has been arrested in connection with that fire and charged with two counts of arson.

Police Identify Homeless Man Arrested In Palisades Fire
48-year-old Ramon Santos Rodriguez has been booked on suspicion of arson in connection with the Palisades Fire that broke out May 14, 2021, in Topanga, Calif. (Los Angeles Fire Department)

Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department battled Monday's two-acre fire with helicopter water drops. Reverend Cynthia Curtis was at the beach when the blaze started.

"Like, the wind just blew and all of a sudden it just lit right up the hill. And so we were concerned because it looked like there was a house up there. I mean, that fire could've easily wiped out a couple of houses had they not gotten there in time," Curtis told CBSLA's Chris Holmstrom.

From the ground, firefighters battled hotspots that were just feet away from homes. While LAFD managed to extinguish the fire, many people living in the Palisades are concerned.

"There's constantly fires kicking up around here. There was just one here a week ago, two years ago. It's like we had our bags packed because we had to be ready to evacuate. So, we get nervous," Jon Brown, a Palisades resident, said.

The cause of Monday's fire is unknown and under investigation, but residents in the area say the location is a spot where unhoused people like to stay.

"There's no reason to be on that side of the street," Brown told CBSLA. "There's no sidewalk. It's just like dry brush and nothing. They have it fenced off, I think, but I think people still go up in there."

Fire officials said that crews will remain on the scene through the night to ensure the first doesn't reignite.

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