An overflow crowd turned out this week in San Pedro for a meeting to discuss a series of more than a dozen suspicious fires in the past month, most in the community’s oceanfront nature preserve but also along the main waterfront.
The fires, which began in early December, were the focus of the public gathering Monday night, Jan. 6, with more than 100 people packing the Grand Annex theater house in downtown San Pedro. The meeting, also attended by police and fire officials, was called by Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents the area.
“This is an issue of great concern,” McOsker said in opening the two-hour session, commending residents who have raised awareness with their neighbors and lawmakers.
Michael Herzmark and his wife, Melissa Wayne, who live nearby and frequently walk in the preserve with their dog, were among the residents highlighted for bringing attention to the issue, going door to door to connect with neighbors.
McOsker aide Drew Leach also helped bring awareness.
“She worked tirelessly,” Herzmark said of Leach.
Security camera footage is providing leads in one of the cases, officials said — a Dec. 26 torching of the town’s community Christmas tree at the town square in front of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum on Harbor Boulevard. Footage captured two men running from the scene, one with apparent burn injuries on his arm, officials said.
The other fires, they added, are believed to be the work of juveniles but no specific leads have been narrowed down yet in those other incidents, officials said.
The White Point Nature Preserve, 1600 W. Paseo Del Mar, which has 102 acres of coastal habitat and hiking trails, is where most of the fires have occurred. The bluff top preserve has been the site of several fires that have left behind charred areas. The preserve’s portable toilet structure, made of plastic, was also burned to the ground.
Crews snd officials are currently working to:
- Repair some spots in the preserve’s fencing, which also legally allows police to make arrests for trespassing.
- Reseal underground bunkers.
- Increase surveillance of the area to detect heat sources from air, land and sea.
Many speakers on Monday expressed the need for more security, including cracking down on e-bikes and motorcycles being used illegally along some of the nature preserve trails, as well as more frequent foot patrols and quicker, more responsive incident reporting procedures. Residents complained about long waits on 911 calls.
“We have a serious problem” in incident reporting at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Division, said San Pedro resident Robert Campbell. “There needs to be a way to reach first responders.”
Others said larger signage at the preserve could help.
A broken water-drain pipe has attracted some homeless people who use that area to camp, other speakers said. One neighbor said activity in the secluded, bluff-top area often continues throughout most nights — including motorists doing doughnut spins on Paseo Del Mar.
Graffiti and trash in the area were among other issues raised.
Suggested solutions included outreach to area schools regarding the e-bike issues and creating a dedicated bike trail on the lower end of the preserve for some non-motorized, two-wheeled access.
LAFD Assistant Chief Carlos Calvillo said the area generally is considered low-brush terrain. While a fire at the preserve could conceivable “push up into those homes” on the hillside above, if allowed to burn un-tended for three hours, he and other fire officials said the humidity from the ocean and normally quick responses from area fire crews — both city and county — would make that an unlikely scenario.
Fires shown on the news on a Santa Ana wind day in northern parts of L.A., Calvillo said, “is just not going to happen here.”
A follow-up report on updates, McOsker said, will be made at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at a meeting of the White Point Community Group, volunteers connected to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy.
The location is yet to be confirmed and main agenda items will also include a discussion of volunteer days and upcoming Earth Day festivities.