You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM six forty.
KFI AM six forty Bill Handle Here Tuesday morning, December tenth. We woke up this morning to news of a fire in Malibu that we've been covering all morning. Tim Conway came in about two o'clock this morning and stayed basically until we came on the air at six, and he'll be back again this afternoon four to seven. What a yeoman's job he did, so thank you to Timmy really did a great job. And if he didn't do a good job, believe me, I would tell you he did
a rotten job. So we have been paying attention to this Malibu fire. It's not enormous relative to other fires here in California, but it is newsworthy in that it's Malibu again, and that seems every other fire happens in Malay and the homes. There are homes that have gone up and some of these homes and I'm guessing now as to which ones, because we don't know exactly which homes. We have some kind of aerial view. I'm watching KTLA, which here we goes behind me screen and its a lot.
Of smoke, a lot of fire still continuing.
It is uncontained as of right now, and this is the time where it's going to be particularly rough because the strongest wins are going to be with us until about nine thirty ten o'clock. We are waiting for a press conference from the fire authorities that was scheduled to start at eight o'clock. And Michael Monks, KFI reporter has been to a couple of places in southern California or in the Malibu region. The fire is overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
It's a very tough way to live in Malibu. Lindsay has her cousin living there who had lost a home in the previous fire. Is right in the middle of the area where the fires are burning and we.
Can't reach them.
There is no internet, there are no phones, and everybody is scrambling to see how they're doing. And if you know anybody in Malibu, it's going to be tough. We talked to the Red Cross, Mimi Teller, who is the spokesperson for the Red Cross. Amy, I know.
They're actually they're getting started right now.
Oh okay, let's go to the presser.
Last night at ten fifty pm, LA County Fire units were responded to a report of a brushfire at Malibu Canyon Road and the tunnel units reported five acres of heavy brush burning and being spread by strong Santa Ana wins. The fire is currently estimated at over two thousand, two hundred acres and we have seven hundred.
Of the firefighters that we're on SCEEN.
We have only a minimal number of homes destroyed, However, I do not have the exact number to give your viewers. Thankfully, we have no reports of serious injuries or fatalities, and this fire is not contained and we remain under an
immediate threat because of the red flag conditions. The current red flag alert is projected to continue through Wednesday evening at eight pm for strong winds and low humidities and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but it is under act of investigation by the Los Angeles County Fire and Sheriffs Arson investigators. Lastly, I'd like to acknowledge and thank our partners, both fire and law enforcement, for their assistance this morning.
We certainly couldn't do it without them.
And one request from water Works District twenty nine and the Department of Public Works is to ask residents that are not in the immediate fire area to police turn off their sprinklers. We are currently monitoring our water pressure. We do have personnel on scene that water should be used for firefighting and not to sprinkle or irrigate your lawns, and it's going to be of little use from starting
from having a brush fire start near your home. Next up, I'd like to ask our Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Lunat to come up and give the law enforcement update.
Thank you, thank you, Chief, and good morning to all of you, and thank you for covering this very important event. The Sheriff's Department has been coordinating with our local state and fire partners, and the County Office of Emergency Management to monitor the Franklin fire, which started in Malibu Canyon Road, north of Malibu Cress Road and south of Francisco Ranch Road. We currently have well over one hundred and fifty personnel, including our Malibu Search and Rescue that are assisting with
this fire incident. We currently have eighteen operations that include evacuations, road closures, and security patrols. Nine of those missions are completed and nine of them are still ongoing. For current closures, there are several road closures in effected in the affected area. There is a soft closure on Los Virginis Road at Loss Hills Road, hard closures at Los Virginis and Molhulland Highway, and on Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and
Canyon Doom Road. Regarding evacuations, a little after midnight, we started multiple evacuation orders and warnings in between Trancas Canyon and the west to Tapega Canyon Boulevard and everything south of Mount Hulland Highway to Pacific Coast Highway. There are approximately eighteen thousand people and eight thousand, one hundred structures in the affected area. Of the eight thousand, one hundred structures, two thousand and forty three structures are under evacuation orders
and six thousand, forty six are under evacuation warnings. And I just want to throw something out to our residents that's critical. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate when a deputy or another official comes to your door or you get a notification that there is a warning
or specifically an order you need to evacuate. It saves lives and it actually impacts the lives of our first responders, because if they have to come in to save a life, they're putting their own lives at risk, which we're willing to do. But please, just the residents are doing an amazing job this far, and I just want to say thank.
You to all of them.
With evacuations continuing, Pepperdine University has a shelter and place order for approximately eight hundred students. Fires can be extremely unpredictable and we highly encourage residents in the fire areas to be prepared to heat our evacuation warnings, gather all important items, documents, medications, and in case you need in case you need to leave your residence immediately.
Very important.
The safety of our community members is our number one priority, and we will continue to assist all impacted residents as they are waking up this.
Morning and whether they're.
They're in need of any kind of assistance, even directions, we're there.
We're here to help you.
In regards to shelters that we're using, we have several shelters that have been established for.
The residents that are displaced.
Pacific Palisades Recreation Center at eight fifty one Alma Real Drive and Pacific Palisades for small animals, the Agora Animal Shelter on a two nine five two five Agora Road in Agora Hills for large animals, Pierce College at six ' two zero one. Whenetka Avenue in Woodland Hills, the fire chief talked about damage. Unfortunately, we did have one black and white patrol car from our Santa Clarita Sheriff station that was damaged in the fire. Thank god, the
deputy was not injured. We are very appreciative of the collaborative efforts. If you look around me, this is a team effort, whether it's all the different agencies on the fireside, the different agencies on the police side.
I can't thank the California.
I have patrol enough for a lot of the road closures that are taking place. But again, as I close here, I do urge our residents to stay informed. Stay informed by watching or following credible news sources. Like most of you, visit our Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department social media or Lacounty dot gov slash emergency for updated information.
Thank you very much.
Now I'm going to introduce Kevin McGowan, our Director of Office of Emergency Services Services for Los Angeles County.
Thank you, Seff.
Our heart goes out to all those that have been impacted by this wildline fire. I also want to say thank you to the residents, as the sheriff said, but also to all of our field responders and our emergency operations Center responders. The county's emergency organization went into its full activation at the onset of the forecast, well before
the fire actually started. We saw the significance from the National Weather Service, another great partner during this incident, describing this as a particularly dangerous situation that warranted a really sizable preparedness campaign across the entire county that continues.
Still at this moment.
We still have a lot of risk and threat throughout the county beyond just just what's occurring at the Franklin fire. We activated our Emergency Operations Center yesterday at seven am, and it's been activated twenty four to seven since it assisted with the Sheriff's Department and the Fire Department, along with our partners at the City of Malibu, with all of our alert and warning emergency notifications. I really want to express my gratitude and thanks to the residents for
complying with all those emergency notifications. It takes a team effort for us to do effective evacuations, especially when it's nighttime. Lastly, just to echo what the sheriff said, real time information can be found by visiting our website LA County dot gov slash emergency. And with that, I have the pleasure of introducing the mayor for Malibu, Marann Riggins.
Sire to hear the mayor talk, because now we're into the politicians, and we're going to have the mayor, and then we'd like to introduce the council person for our district, then the assembly person for our district to talk about how terrific that person is. And then the head of the mosquito abatement district to talk about how they're dealing with mosquitos in the area. And let's talk about the water district person.
Now we have to talk about that.
Up to that point, this was a terrific press conference. I mean it was right from the beginning. Here's the information, here's what we need, here's what we're doing. Here are the centers, here's where you go. Here's how many people are out there. Here are the teams that we have out We have eighteen teams and this is what they're doing, all solid, good information.
The good news is they didn't start.
With let's talk to every politician who is up here just trying to get re elected. So I have to give big kudos to the fire department, the Sheriff's department, the emergency center. They actually did a very good job. And now they're into the crapple. I'm sure, and I'm willing to bet Kno. If we come back fifteen minutes from now, we'll be hearing politician number twelve talking about what's going on.
They did say Bill that the mayor spoke and said that the city Hall is one of the buildings under the evacuation order, so they are not operating out of city Hall this morning. They are operating their emergency center remotely from another place, and also asked residents to have their Genesis apps ready to serve.
How many let me ask you this, and maybe I jumped out of there too quickly.
No, I don't think, because now Lindsay Horvath is talking.
Now, of course, and how many thank yous are going around. I'd like to thank our partners for doing this, and I'd like to thank this organization I'd like, it's just I don't know if that's going on. And you know, Amy, you're looking at this, I'd love to hear how much or how long this thing is going to go. And at this point, I want to take guesses we're going to do a football pool.
I'm saying till.
Two minutes before we walk out, we'll be hearing these people talk, maybe maybe half an hour later.
What do you think?
All right?
So, one of the things that both and I think it was the both the sheriff and the fire chief said that he thanks everybody for actually paying attention to evacuation orders and staying. Ignoring evacuation orders are a terrible thing, and he.
Said, we're there to rescue lives.
When you talk about the floods and the hurricanes, the rescue people said, real simple, you're not out.
If you think we're going to come.
And rescue you, you're nuts. We're just leaving you alone and you deal with it. And I would think the same thing here, would you put first responders at risk? And the fire chief even said that our first responders put their.
Lives on the line.
Why if people don't want to evacuate or they ignore evacuation orders, and how many people do ignore evacuation evacuation orders constantly and inevitably the news goes up to these folks after the fact and said, yes, I heard the evacuation order. Yes, I understood that it was mandatory, but I decided to write it out and here I am. And then there are places where the reporters go up to someone and say, hey, I noticed you didn't go, You didn't mandate, you didn't didn't follow the mandate for
evacuation orders. Why, oh you're dead? Oh I'm sorry. Let me go to the next person, Michael Monks. Is he available as to what's happened? And do we have Michael coming out?
I'm here?
Okay, there you go, Michael.
Okay.
Last year were at on PCH this KFI reporter Michael at where are you now and what is happening in your world?
I've returned to the evacuation center in the Palisades because there really is such limited mobile and antenna service in Malibu right now, So in order to talk to you all, I've come back to the Palisades outside the evacuation center. But what I did observe there was a lot of smoke You could definitely smell and taste the fire there, and it was a crazy scene to see pch empty. You know, rarely do you get the chance to drive
on that highway alone. So that was it was neat obviously a tragic set of circumstances, but you've got you know, everything else looks so normal. It was business as usual driving in towards Malibu before the road is closed, where they did let the media go by, food trucks, people hanging out, and then you cross into the Malibu city limit and it becomes a city of tumbleweeds because of all of the closures, and you've got the beauty of Malibu and then a mountain on fire behind it.
I'm looking at some of the television coverage the monitors behind me.
So if I sound a little echoe, forgive me.
And we're looking at this is KTLA that does a phenomenal job of covering local news like this, and the coverage they're showing.
There isn't much fire. What I do see is a lot of smoke. I don't know if there's much fire there. You've been following this a lot more.
That's what I saw.
Primarily by the time the sun came up and they were able to start attacking this thing.
From the air.
It was a lot more smoke that was visible, and I saw a lot of choppers. I forgive me for not knowing the terms, but it was those specialty choppers that have like two propellers on top and the front and the back that are sent in to help bat.
Yeah, they're known as specialty I helicopters with two roaders on top is what they're called.
And I think they are managed by the Department of Mosquito Abatement.
Yes, absolutely, hopefully now the camera.
Has now it's come into a view of there actually is fire along the ridges, but not a huge amount. We're not talking about massive blazes that are going up thirty forty eighty feet.
Well, there's a couple.
There, but they it doesn't look like even with this wind that is supposed to be here, the fires are burning straight up, and that usually indicates there are but there's not a lot of wind. When the fire goes sideways, then you're looking at this thing moving very very quickly. How many people are This is the story we've been
covering this morning. There seems to be a We talked to the Red Cross lady Mimi Teller, there was virtually nobody at the evacuation center, and you had mentioned that when you first went there before going on PCH there was nobody there.
What's happening now.
It's sort of the same.
I had talked to Mimi as well earlier this morning, and there were people parked here, and like I had mentioned on the earlier broadcast, it seemed that people were here hanging out in their vehicles that they must have found some comfort in that for now instead of going inside and sitting on one of these cots at the recreation center. So the situation is the parking lot is still full. The difference now is that there are a lot more people who are coming here to use this
place as it is intended. It's a recreation center, so I'm seeing a lot of pickleball rackets go in. So it's hard to discern between people who have evacuated any type of birding neighborhood in Malibu and folks who are just out for a little Tuesday recreation.
A lot of dogs are running around now.
But we have stood by here with the hoping to talk to some folks who left the scene of the fire, and that hasn't worked out yet. Folks have pretty much either remained in their car or they've driven on I'll tell you, And this is me making a deduction.
I guess.
I'm not sure, but driving on PCH before you got to the Malibu City limit sign, I saw.
A lot of cars just parked.
Alongside the beach, and I'm wondering if folks also just evacuated down to the side of the road to wait it out until they could go back.
And that's what I was guessing was happening.
And that's very interesting, as you pointed out, because this is very southern California, because as your house is burning to the ground, let's go out and play some pickleball. And I can't imagine any place else in the country where that would be happening. I'm also assuming, since this is Malibu and there aren't very many poor areas of Malibu, as Mini pointed out, a lot of people where they are under mandatory evacuations and paying attention to it, which
is the vast, vast majority. They're going to hotels. Who the hell wants to sit in a Red Cross center?
For sure?
I mean, yeah, with ramen for breakfast, That's what she told me ramen. Who the hell has ramen for breakfast?
Certainly not anybody with a better appetite, I suppose. But I don't like to make assumptions as a reporter, but I will tell you my observations, Bill, and it's there's some pretty nice cars in this parking lot.
Yeah yeah, And so as she pointed out, people have friends, they go to hotels and there's enough money there where.
I mean, you just don't want to do that.
And I don't know if you noticed, Bill, but there was an update from Pepperdine that contradicted what was said at that press conference. The press conference owned that Pepperdine was still on a shelter in place thing. The university has since put out a message that they've lifted that and that students are now allowed to go back to their residential homes, although they're encouraged to kind of stay off the Malibu city streets.
So they're maintaining the pickleball.
Tournament there, always playing pickleball up up up there at the school as well.
I'll get it all right, Michael, thank you all these good stuff. Michael Monks, KFI reporter. We were told by the fire chief I think it was like count because it's Malibu is not a city onto itself as part of Ali County. And we didn't get a whole lot of information twenty two hundred acres. But a couple of things that make this particularly newsworthy. One it's Malibu, and Malibu has gone through these fires of a couple of times.
And we pay particular attention.
And the other thing, which and I don't want to say that to the fire department, a fifteen million dollar home is more important than an eight hundred thousand dollars home because it's still property. But I think a fifteen million dollar home is more important than an eight hundred thousand dollars home.
Just you know, I'm just putting myself as a fireman. That's all. They don't care, Okay, fair enough.
The other very I think interesting part of this is the Red Cross.
And I had a good time.
With Mimi Teller or spokesperson for the Red Cross, making fun of the food, etc. They are an extraordinary organization. When you talk about any kind of natural disaster, many times they're out before the first responders. I mean, this is and it's all donation, no government grants, and so they're out there immediately. They set up at various evacuation centers.
I think there's one no one showed up. Versuly fifteen people showed up, and Mimi was saying they're set for eight hundred people at that evacuation center, and a couple of times we talked, well, once we talked to her, and a couple times we talked to Michael Monks who was at the evacuation center.
Maybe a dozen people showed up.
But then again, that's another aspect of Malibu that makes this place unique because these people have expensive homes, and real expensive homes mean these people have money. So what Mimi pointed out is that the vast majority of people that are in the evacuate evacuation area mandatory of action area, which they're.
Paying attention to and leaving, they're not going to go to a Red Cross center. They're going to go to a hotel. They're going to go to a friend or a family member's house.
So the Red Cross set up and in this case, the good news is it's not really necessary there. But you know, if you saw what they did, and we always see when they are major flooding or hurricanes or massive wildfires in which thousands of people are affected there.
They are just extraordinary and they feed people.
I asked Mimi what they were feeding people at the evacuation centers and it wasn't very impressive. So this time around, I'm going to suggest you go to.
Dan at Ory.
It's true. Did you hear the menu that she came up with.
It's got a menu. It's food for people who are evacuating.
Yeah, I mean you still want it to be you still want it to be tasty.
Oh, to moves boush and.
Then to move on.
Yeah, yeah, you know the price fixed the menu which you get for free.
You're what they call it a moves douche.
Well, thank you so much for that. So we're gonna continue on. Amy, I'm gonna come back to you.
And so far we've had that press conference with the fire chief and the sheriff and extra I thought they did a great job. And again you look at the Red Cross, but you also look at what the authorities are doing and the planning that they have everything in place, and just they become very very good. Chuck Lovers earlier with us at seven thirty, and it's worth going to.
The where are you gonna listen?
To on demand. I listened to it on demand. It's worth it and you get a good a good view of what the fire department does, the inside baseball part of that. It is our last segment. We've been covering the Malibu fire all morning long. Amy's going to give you the latest. Also a couple of things that we missed, which I would love to talk about. There's a story out there and I don't even know if the hoax, because it's so extraordinary that President elect Trump is now selling cologne.
Amy, have you seen that story.
I saw something about it, but it was sort of offhand. I haven't had a chance to look into it, and I will apport a joke.
Yeah that's what I thought. It was reported on the Hill. But still it seems so ludicrous. It's like waking up Sunday morning listening to the Jesus Show and Jesus selling fish sticks.
I mean, it just is. It's weird.
Also, I want to remind you before we get the latest, I am taking phone calls after the show for handle on the law, marginal legal advice, so we move away from the fire for a while. If you have a marginal legal question, just call me. The numbers eight seven, seven, five to zero, eleven fifty. I'll do it off the air, and I'll start right after I lock out, so amy.
Before we do finish the show.
Other than President Lex selling cologne, and I hear it's called fight, Fight, Fight, and he has his.
Fist up in the air.
I think it's a photo of what happened during the assassination attempt.
It says it's a truth Social post that Trump shared a picture of his exchange with Jill Biden, which they you know, they talk to each other when they were both in France for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, and it had a tongue in cheek comment that said the fragrance your enemies can't resist. Okay, So that sounds like a joke to me.
Yeah, it does sound like a joke.
You never know, Yeah, you never know, because the tennis shoes were real at some point, the ties were real, the steak was real, the Bibles were real.
When he sold the bibles, So why the hell not?
But okay, we'll unless it's confirmed, we'll call it a joke.
And he does do stuff like that, I mean, he.
Does use truth Social for jokes, and he.
Actually some of this stuff is very very funny.
All right, Amy, Wait there apparently really is. I'm on the page now it really is. Globe we get Trump Fragrances dot Com. Let's shop now Trump for Women, Trump for pre order Victory forty seven, Trump Perfume for Women. The Fight Fight Fight is sold out?
And how what this one hundred and ninety for how much cologne?
I mean, it looks like a decent size. It doesn't say buy now for Christmas. And the one another one of the Victory cologne by President Trump that's sold out. It's a bottle of cologne. And then it's got like a little gold head of Trump on the as the cap.
Do you know that when I say we are going to have a presidency that is unlike any presidency we have ever had in the history of the United States or will ever have, It's uh, I'll tell you if nothing else, forget about the politics, and forget about the nominees or the tariff serenia that the next four years are going to be entertaining with a capital E.
That I guarantee, and we should mention that the Trump fragrance, that fragrances are not designed manufacturer distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump. Oh so it's a Trump organization or okay, fair enough?
So but what was it on true social about?
Well? Trump posted about it because he's probably founded and when how cool is that?
Okay?
Got it all right, Trump fragrances dot com.
Okay, so that helps.
It is not an official Trump fragrance. So like the shoes, Uh, no, I get it, I get it. Okay, So that straightens it out. I'm glad to hear that.
Now. Amy.
Let's uh, there is other news out there you want to other than the Malibu fire. We'll give you the latest just before we lock out. But what else is happening in the world?
Okay?
Just it's actually a relatively quiet day in the news world, which doesn't happen very often, but one the man arrested in connection with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has now been charged with murder. Yesterday. They picked him up at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Somebody at the McDonald's recognized him and called and went to an employee and said, I think that's the guy. The employee called police, and police when got him.
And what a weird story.
This is a guy who came comes from a family, very very wealthy family. There are real estate people they own I think they own a shopping centers and they own nursing homes.
I mean there's a lot of money there.
He went to a very high end private boys' school. Valedictorian, University of Pennsylvania, undergrad master's degree in computing engineering. No background in terms of crime, no criminal background, but clearly really angry at.
The insurance industry.
I mean that is coming out with statements that he's made and things are on the internet, and what happened on the casings, the bullet casings where he wrote delay, deny, Yeah, deny, depose.
You know what's interesting, Bill is they have said, not in detail, but they have said that he is upset at corporations as a whole, and he was found at a McDonald's.
He's got a weakness with his computer. Good point.
And in a very weird sidebar story that is connected to this, he has become a hero to a huge population because everybody hates the insurance industry so much that he had the balls to go ahead and kill a.
Ceo.
Now having the balls to kill a CEO. You know, to me, it's just a straight out vicious crime. Shooting someone in the back of the head execution style to me is not particularly a good thing.
But to a huge population, this guy's a hero.
And as a matter of fact, I think he wrote something that you know, I'm sorry that I did it, but somebody had to do it.
I think that's out there. I mean, it is crazy.
Also, the Trump nominees are let's just say, I don't won't say they're in trouble, but they're gonna have a hard time getting through the Senate. Tulci, Gobbard, Gabbert particularly, she's going to be head of all the intelligence agencies, and she has said that the intelligence agencies are basically a croc. And let's not forget the two secret meetings she had with Bashar Asad and backed him up, which
is kind of interesting. And Cash Patel, who is head of the FBI, the nominee who's made it very clear his job as head of the FBI is twofold. One, put Trump's enemies in prison, go after them, and two dismantle the FBI and put in the people who will uphold the law.
Okay, does he go through I don't know.
I mean, there are plenty of Republicans, the vast majority, that say it doesn't matter what nominee Donald Trump puts forward, whether their experience, whether they have credentials, nothing, nothing, it's
just he puts them forward, we vote for them. And others, even Republican can say, hang on a minute, do we really want someone who's head of the Defense Department, for example, who has all kinds of problems and has zero managerial experiencing And this is a eight hundred billion dollar agency and it's gonna be run by a guy who was in combat, and that's it, decorated, terrific job. But you know, what do you do with that? Okay, we have a lot more to cover. We'll be doing it throughout the week.
We're done.
The number to call for handle on the law off the air and starting in just a moment eight seven seven five to zero eleven fifty eight seven seven five to zero eleven fifty, stay tuned to KFI for all of the news about the fire.
And tomorrow we start all over again.
Amy, wake up, call Neil and I jump aboard right until now, and then of course you've got Kono and Ann.
Who do something on the show.
This is KFI am six. You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show. Catch my show Monday through Friday, six am to nine am, and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app