H'wood sifting through the ashes
By sundown Thursday, the blaze was 70% contained, but 4,500 firefighters remained on standby to quash potential flareups.
Officials were allowing some residents through roadblocks around noon Thursday. Some celebrities returned to their homes to begin sifting through the rubble for valuables and looking for lost animals.
Only those who live near the upper reaches of the terrain, where the fire was still raging, were denied access.
Actor Ed Harris began mopping up around his home, which escaped unharmed from the blaze. But a stone fountain and some walls were all that remained of the home of Sean Penn, Harris' next-door neighbor.
Lensing shifts
Several film crews hoping to use Malibu and its environs have relocated to locations south of the coastal community. Some production companies have been forced to shoot interiors until their location sites can be reached.
"We've been unable to put people in Malibu for filming, so we simply transferred them to other areas," said Stephanie Hershey Liner, staffer in the Economic Development Corp., the entity that administers film permits for Los Angeles County.
Filming for "Melrose Place"was relocated to Marina del Rey, while crews for "Baywatch" are expected to be able to return to their Will Rogers State Park beach production site as early as Monday, a spokesman for the company said.
"We've been told the beach will be available by next week," Liner said.
Crews slated to use Tapia Park, the state-run recreation center in the center of Malibu Canyon, were canceled. A Disney production company was scheduled to use the site on Wednesday.
Volunteers from Actors & Others for Animals will take to the streets in the fire areas over the weekend, organizing searches for missing pets and livestock displaced during the fire.
Fire officials estimated 100% containment by 10 p.m. last night, but were keeping the bulk of the crews on alert until at least first light today.
Arson search
The investigation and search for the arsonist who started the blaze is being handled by both L.A. County Sheriff's homicide detectives and investigators from the L.A. County Fire Dept. arson unit.
"There was no reason for this fire to start other than someone setting it," said Ron Albott, L.A. County Fire Dept. arson investigator who examined the point of origin.
The Motion Picture & Television Fund joined the growing list of industry orgs offering emergency financial assistance to it members. The group will make available short term loans for those affected by the fire.
