Malibu / Canyon Fire -- Road Closure Status

I received an e-mail from someone asking about road closures in Malibu after the fire:

HI JOHN:

I SAW A BLOG WITH YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION.

I AM HOPING YOU CAN TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ROAD CLOSURES IN
THE MALIBU AREA AS WE ARE TRAVELING WITH MAPQUEST.

IS LAS VIRGINES CLOSED? WE ARE TRYING TO REACH A HOME IN THE MAHOU
RIVIERA AREA FROM A BURBANK HOTEL TAKING VENTURA FWY.

I APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE YOU MAY HAVE FOR ME.

I normally don't answer messages in ALL CAPS, {grin} but I figured if one person is asking, probably more people are curious.

The LA County Department of Public Works shows no road closures from the fire. (Some lane closures due to storms, but all date from 2005 -- and it's still very possible to get around the lane closures.)

The City of Calabasas says, "Malibu Canyon is now OPEN but subject to intermittent closure for electrical repairs." They don't list any other roads as closed.

The City of Malibu says that, "The Fire Department reports that the access roads to Rambla Pacifico are currently open to residents only, with identification. There are no other reported road closures. Please avoid Civic Center Way between Cross Creek and Webb Way as this is a Fire staging area."

(This is typical of the type of information I was working with during the fire. While there was often a general consensus between sources, they often differed on details.)

To answer the person's specific question: Las Virgenes Rd. / Malibu Canyon Rd are intermittently closed. You could certainly get through, but you might have to wait. Kanan Dume Rd. is probably a better bet for you.

(It's nice to be able to write good news here.)