Santa Ana Winds Spark Three Simultaneous Fires Across Southern California as 150,000 Lose Power

The Bryson Fire burns in Malibu, California on October 15, 2026. The brush fire in the mountains west of Los Angeles prompted evacuation warnings from officials, as powerful Santa Ana winds risked spreading the blaze rapidly. (Credit: Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

The Briefing

• The Bryson Fire near Malibu burned between 146 and 200 acres by Friday morning — the L.A. County Fire Department puts the official figure at 146 acres while CAL FIRE reports closer to 200 — reaching 17% containment after more than 285 firefighters worked through the night, with roughly 100 structures threatened and a juvenile facility evacuated.
• A second blaze, the Peak Fire in Azusa, scorched approximately 43 acres before crews halted its spread by midafternoon Thursday. Its cause is officially under investigation and has not been linked to any power company equipment — a detail that some early wire summaries got wrong.
• More than 150,000 California customers lost power Friday as utilities executed coordinated preemptive shutoffs; PG&E alone notified approximately 88,000 customers across 29 counties of potential interruptions, with Red Flag Warnings holding through Saturday.