Recent fires and mud problems in Laguna Beach, Calif., damaged many homes but spared the community’s business district, including its hotels, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts, according to the Laguna Beach Hospitality Association. But like the rest of Southern California this dry season, the town is not out of the woods yet.
Rich Dewberry, chief of the Laguna Beach Fire Department, confirmed that the fires were confined mostly to the residential neighborhoods north and east of the main business area.
“We did have to shut the town down for a couple of days for safety reasons” on Oct. 28 and 29, when the wind-driven brush fires pushed into the beachside town, Dewberry said. Like other blazes this fall in Malibu and elsewhere, the El Topanga fire also led to mud runoffs after rain, though the mud was less damaging in Laguna Beach.
“There was some siltation that forced us to close the Laguna Canyon Road (California Highway 133) for a few hours,” Dewberry said. “It wasn’t blocking the road, but it was very fine and slick and could have created problems for drivers.” The town is now completely accessible by California 133 and the Pacific Coast Highway (California Highway 1).
Dewberry cautioned that the fire season usually lasts through December. Since that last wetting, he said, “we haven’t had any more rain to speak of, and it’s still as dry as can be.”
For information on conditions in Laguna Beach, call the hospitality association, 800-877-1115.
