Woolsey Fire: Containment reaches 100 percent, with 1,643 structures destroyed, 3 deaths

BySid Garcia and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Woolsey Fire burn area neighborhoods prepare for mudslides
Residents in Woolsey Fire burn areas are preparing for possible mudslides with rain in the forecast.

MALIBU, Calif. -- Thirteen days after the Woolsey Fire began, ravaging more than 96,000 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, firefighters have reached full containment of the blaze.

Wednesday's fire update listed containment at 100 percent, after the fire scorched 96,949 acres and destroyed 1,643 structures. It also resulted in three civilian deaths.

Three firefighters suffered injuries fighting the flames and 364 structures were damaged.

The Woolsey Fire began on Nov. 8 off Woolsey Canyon Road near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the Santa Susana Mountains above Simi Valley.

Hot, dry winds spread the flames quickly through brush dried out by California's drought. It spread through the mountains, moving through Agoura Hills and Calabasas and then hitting Malibu, triggering nearly 300,000 evacuations, and ravaging entire neighborhoods.

The cause remains under investigation, but at least two lawsuits have been filed claiming Southern California Edison equipment is to blame.

PHOTOS: Southern California wildfires

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President Donald Trump visits a neighborhood impacted by the Woolsey Fire, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Malibu, Calif.
Evan Vucci/AP Photo

While the fire danger has now subsided, rain is expected this week. That could open up the potential for mud and rockslides, especially along Highway 1 and the canyon roads. Los Angeles and Ventura counties will have sandbags available at fire stations.

MORE: Volunteers fill sandbags in Agoura Hills ahead of looming rain

Volunteers banded together to fill sandbags at a local fire station in Agoura Hills ahead of looming rain that sparked concern over possible mud and debris flow in the Woolsey Fire burn area.