By Peter Prengaman
The Associated Press
MALIBU, Calif. — Firefighters watched for flareups Tuesday in an exclusive seaside neighborhood after a fast-moving wildfire swept through multimillion-dollar homes, destroying four and a guest house.
Four other houses were significantly damaged by the wind-driven fire Monday, and one resident who was not identified was hospitalized because of smoke inhalation.
Properties were still smoldering early Tuesday and about 150 firefighters and arson investigators were on the scene.
“Right now we cannot speculate about how this happened,” Inspector Rick Dominguez said early Tuesday.
The blaze was fanned by Santa Ana wind as it raced through the celebrity enclave near Pepperdine University. “Red flag” fire danger warnings posted by the National Weather Service remained in effect for much of Southern California because of the strong wind and low humidity.
“Anything that was down there that could burn, did burn,” said County Fire Chief Michael Freeman.
Fire officials didn’t release the names of property owners who lost homes, but actress Victoria Principal was among those who rushed out to hose down their houses after the fire was reported about 5 p.m. Monday.
Her publicist, Alan Nierob, said her home wasn’t damaged. “She covered her house with water,” he said.
Victoria Pinero, co-owner of Little Angels Pet Services, which takes care of dogs and other animals, was housesitting at one of the homes destroyed in the blaze. She said she wasn’t home at the time the fire erupted, but rushed back to save the owners’ four dogs.
She said she found two dogs, but “we are still looking for the last two dogs. ... We did everything we could,” she said, crying. “For these people, the dogs were basically their children.”
The blaze burned near the Malibu Colony, one of the area’s original beachfront neighborhoods, dating to the 1930s. The densely built stretch of luxury homes has been a favorite of celebrities over the years.
Residents of Malibu include Mel Gibson, Pierce Brosnan, Pamela Anderson, Barbra Streisand, Ted Danson, David Geffen, and Courteney Cox-Arquette.
Malibu has frequently been the scene of devastating fires. In 1993, hundreds of homes were lost and three people were killed. A 1996 fire injured 11 people and destroyed six homes.
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Associated Press writers Christina Almeida, Ana Beatriz Cholo and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles and Jeremiah Marquez in Malibu contributed to this report.