23 Beachfront Burn Lots Red-Tagged as Erosion Eats Toward PCH
Caltrans says it aims to shore up every site by the end of October, before El Niño storms arrive.
August 13, 2026 · Malibu
The number of burned-out beachfront properties threatening Pacific Coast Highway has grown to 23, city staff told the council last night — up from [16 flagged earlier this month](https://malibutimes.com/malibu-urges-accelerated-action-to-protect-pch-from-worsening-coastal-erosion/) — after crews walked all 320 beachfront parcels in the burn zone and flew drone surveys of the coastline.
The worst site, in the 2000 block of PCH, had a failed seawall, an exposed septic tank and, most alarming, an exposed high-pressure gas line and water lines at the road’s edge. SoCalGas has shut off gas to the parcels which have been red-tagged, meaning they’re not safe to enter. They say the exposed line shows no leaks or damage.
Caltrans has already regraded and stabilized that parcel, and is hiring an emergency contractor for the rest, with a stated goal of addressing all 23 locations by the end of October. The agency and the city now hold weekly meetings dedicated to the effort.
The council also directed staff to bring back [a formal emergency proclamation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baetGrRnfzk&t=4210s) authorizing crews to enter private property, a step a Caltrans representative called “just amazing help.” Most of the sites aren’t legal emergencies yet, so crews currently have to secure each owner’s permission.
Council member Marianne Riggins pressed Caltrans to consider a continuous protective wall along the burn zone rather than parcel-by-parcel fixes, arguing highway protection shouldn’t fall to private owners whose homes may not be rebuilt for decades.
The agency’s answer: that would take “billions and billions,” and repairs will happen piece by piece.
The urgency is the calendar. Council member Doug Stewart cited forecasts of unusually high tides this winter, potentially around December, and staff described the erosion as increasing “exponentially” since the fire.
“We’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next couple months,” the Caltrans representative said.