Crime & Safety
Park Gates Vandalized During Closure Despite Red Flag Danger
In the event of a fire, a visitor deep inside the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area might not be able to exit in time.
Two gates to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area were unlocked by vandals overnight on Friday in the midst of a reg flag closure, the National Park Service reported Saturday.
The park service said locks were broken on gates to Rancho Sierra Vista near Newbury Park and the Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons near Calabasas. The vandals created the impression that the park sites were open for visitation.
In the event of a fire, a visitor deep inside the canyons might not be able to exit in time. Conditions on Saturday and Sunday are very similar to those experienced during the May 2013 Springs Fire, the park service Said.
“If these same acts had been perpetrated during the Springs Fire, they would have put visitors and our firefighters at a serious and very unnecessary risk,” said Superintendent David Szymanski.
In addition to the red flag danger, all national parks are closed because of the federal government shutdown.
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