"Our first big one of the season": FOX 11 follows Malibu's Bryson Fire live
Within an hour of airtime, the fire went from 35 acres to more than 100 as super scoopers worked the ridges and evacuations spread toward the coast.
FOX 11 Los Angeles
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 118,167 views a day, 17 times a normal first day on this channel (6,854).
Fire burning in Malibu amid LA County under red flag warning
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:00Aerial footage shows flames near Mulholland Highway and Encinal Canyon Road under red flag conditions.
- 2:10Reporter Matthew Seedorff calls in from gridlocked Pacific Coast Highway, with smoke drifting toward the ocean.
- 12:00Adam Kruger explains that Santa Ana gusts should strengthen after midnight and persist through the weekend.
- 23:20Leased Canadian super scoopers can take on up to 1,500 gallons of seawater in under 15 seconds.
- 46:10The fire's estimated size passes 100 acres as the flames advance along steep ridges.
- 50:58L.A. County Fire's Pauline McGee confirms Camp Kilpatrick was evacuated out of caution.
The fire kept growing. Ten minutes into FOX 11 Los Angeles' live coverage, the Bryson Fire was reported at 35 acres near Mulholland Highway and Encinal Canyon Road. Before the first hour was out, Glenn Walker was reading a new figure on air: 102 acres.
Meteorologist Adam Kruger set the scene early. "This is our first big one of the season," he said of the Santa Ana wind event, and he warned that gusts would surge again after midnight and last through the weekend.
The ground picture came by phone. Reporter Matthew Seedorff, heading west on Pacific Coast Highway, described smoke blowing out toward the ocean and traffic that had come to a standstill. "It is just a gridlock out here," he said, the same road emergency vehicles needed to reach the fire.
Overhead, SkyFOX followed a different route in. A super scooper skimmed the Pacific to refill, and anchor Christine explained that the leased Canadian aircraft can take on up to 1,500 gallons of seawater in under 15 seconds. Fixed-wing planes laid retardant along ridgelines as twilight lit up the flames.
The broadcast drew about 118,000 views in its first day, many times what the station's long live streams usually manage, and its comment section was far busier than usual. Viewers asked whether there would be water for the hydrants, and debated power shutoffs and whether power lines should go underground.
Camp Kilpatrick, the juvenile detention camp in the area, was first reported sheltering in place. Later Pauline McGee of the L.A. County Fire Department confirmed it had been evacuated as a precaution. "Our number one priority is life safety, then property and the environment," she said.
FOX 11 had a second fire to cover at the same time: the Norte Fire in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, where homes burned and a separate live stream is drawing an even bigger audience.
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- Channel
- FOX 11 Los Angeles
- Subscribers
- 1,370,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 5,077,814
- Channel views, pace per day
- 735,550 (on a normal day: 508,884)
- Video published
- October 16, 2026
- Video views so far
- 125,676 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 79,104
The numbers
Breaking news brought far more viewers than this station's long live streams usually draw, and two more Bryson Fire uploads also started fast.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which state park marks the western end of the Bryson Fire evacuation area shown on FOX 11's banner?
The on-screen banner listed evacuations from Encinal Canyon Road to Leo Carrillo State Park.