As Southern California enters peak fire season, Malibu has declared a local emergency that gives the city power to clear homeless encampments within a day.
Citing dangerously dry brush conditions, the City Council approved the declaration this week to reduce the risk of fires associated with homeless individuals cooking outdoors or using fire to keep warm at night.
The fear is that a spark from an encampment could be whipped by winds and quickly turn into a devastating blaze across Malibu’s fire-prone hills. The emergency order applies to all unpermitted campsites in areas classified as “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones” — which is the entire city of Malibu.
Under California law, agencies must typically provide at least 48 to 72 hours of advance written notice before clearing a homeless encampment. The emergency order allows providing notice to take place the same day as an encampment is cleared.
Since 2021, there have been 41 fires in Malibu believed to have been started by individuals experiencing homelessness, according to a city spokesperson.
About 23 of those fires took place in 2021 when there were 157 people experiencing homelessness in Malibu, according to city data.
Since then, the number of annual encampment fires and the number of unhoused people have dropped considerably as the city has made dedicated efforts to remove encampments.
The 2026 Homeless Count recorded just 27 unhoused individuals in 16 dwellings, such as vehicles, tents or makeshift shelters, in Malibu.
So far in 2026, there have only been two encampment fires reported in the city, with the most recent in June, the spokesperson said.
Although small fires have been reported at encampments, a significant wildfire has not been linked to homelessness within the city this year.
Nontheless, scarred by the devastation of the 2025 Palisades fire, 2024 Franklin fire and 2018 Woolsey fire, Malibuites take fire safety seriously.
“Declaring a local emergency provides an important proactive measure to reduce wildfire risk and protects lives and homes in Malibu as fire conditions worsen as we move towards the peak fire season,” said Mayor Bruce Silverstein in a statement. “This emergency declaration enables the City to act swiftly in reducing wildfire risks while continuing our balanced approach that protects both public safety and vulnerable community members.”
The emergency protocol was first created by the Malibu City Council in 2024 and has been applied in all subsequent fire seasons.
The city uses live fuel moisture, which is the percentage of water in plants, as a threshold for triggering the order. Levels below 65% are considered hazardous fire conditions.
The L.A. County Fire Department’s most recent reading in the Santa Monica Mountains came in at 63%.
Malibu uses homeless outreach teams operated by nonprofit organization the People Concern and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department to connect people to housing resources. Sheriff’s deputies then help oversee the removal of encampments, and people who refuse to vacate after being offered services could be subject to arrest.
Thus far, this is not a problem the city reports encountering.
“Thankfully, the Sheriff’s Department, City staff, and our Outreach Team receive compliance once services are offered, and/or threats of citations are made,” the spokesperson said.
Working with the Sheriff’s Department, Malibu cleared 44 encampments in 2025, 44 in 2024, and 29 in 2023.
