Brush Fire Closes Santa Monica Freeway and Lincoln Blvd - UPDATE - all roads now open

UPDATE: All roads now open as of 10:49 am

Due to a brush fire, East Bound Santa Monica Fwy remains closed from the McClure Tunnel to Lincoln. All other closures have been lifted. East Bound Santa Monica Fwy is accessible from Lincoln Blvd.

October 16, 2024 - A brush fire has forced the closure of two major arteries for the westside.

According the a Santa Monica Alert, East Bound and West Bound Santa Monica Fwy will be closed between the McClure Tunnel and 20th St until further notice. Lincoln Blvd is closed to both Northbound & Southbound traffic from Westbound Olympic to Eastbound Olympic. Residents and visitors are cautioned to avoid the area and use alternate routes until further notice.

Lincoln Blvd is the main up and down link connecting Santa Monica, Venice, Westchester, Inglewood and the Los Angeles Airport. The Santa Monica Freeway transitions to the Pacific Coast Highway via the McClure Tunnel and its closure will force all west-east to coastal north traffic through Santa Monica.

Alyssa Erdley

Firemen making sure they have completely extinguished a May 2024 brush fire on the Palisades cliffs. Homeless campstoves were cited as the cause.

Most brush fires in the area are now caused by homeless people living in encampments in the landscaping. For example, the Topanga fire of 2021 that burned 1,100 acres and force 1,000 residents to evacuate was caused by a homeless man, Ramon Santos Rodriguez, 48. The City of Santa Monica is estimated to have at least 2,000 homeless individuals at any moment seeking shelter in store entryways, alleys, down the cliffs and anywhere they can find a spot, including the freeway landscaping.

John Alle

Homeless sleeping in Palisades Park near the cliffs, 2022