The entire sparsely populated portion of the Malibu coast west to the community of Solromar, which includes state and national parklands, suffered damage from the fire.

The evacuated residents were incrementally allowed to return to see if their houses were damaged or destroyed as the fire continued to spread through the rugged wilderness at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Authorities in many of the damaged communities declared that they needed to prevent residents from returning quickly as neighborhoods were crowded with crews repairing downed power lines and other hazardous conditions.

During the overnight hours into the early morning of November 9, the fire crossed U.S. Route 101 near Calabasas and spread through Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills.

[23] The blaze spread rapidly throughout the day burning through the mountains and along the 101 Freeway, eventually reaching Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu by the afternoon devastating numerous houses there.

[29] On the day before the Hill and Woolsey fires started, residents in the Conejo Valley experienced the shooting of thirteen people in a bar including a police officer and the perpetrator.

[1] Before sunrise on November 14, the fire flared up in rugged wilderness at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains with winds blowing strongly.

[1] Many of the public and private parks and trails within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area were closed indefinitely as damage due to the fire was being evaluated and necessary remediation measures were put in place.

[42] The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced on January 22, 2019, that charred human remains had been found in the burn area in Malibu and that homicide detectives were trying to determine if the victim had been killed in the flames or had met with foul play.

[28][45] Several celebrities were among those who lost their houses, including Jonathan Banks,[46] Kim Basinger,[47] Tracey E. Bregman,[48] Gerard Butler,[49] Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth,[50] David Dreier,[51] Scott Derrickson,[52] Shannen Doherty,[53] Fred Durst,[54] Joe Flanigan,[55] Mike Garson,[56] Camille Meyer,[57] Daryl Hannah and Neil Young,[58] Pat Hitchcock,[59] Kevin Parker,[60] Gabe Kapler,[61] Catherine Oxenberg,[62] Lil Pump,[63] Robin Thicke,[52] Andrew von Oeyen,[64] Eric Wynalda,[65] and Daniel Tosh.

[72] The numerous drug rehabilitation centers and sober living houses in Malibu that have given rise to the nickname "Rehab Riviera" were evacuated ahead of the fire.

[76] Local fire officials opened Zuma Beach as an evacuation point for large animals, with pictures by the Los Angeles Times, showing llamas, alpacas, and horses tied to lifeguard stations and poles.

[80][81][82][83] The small groves of California sycamores and coast live oaks amidst the sage and chaparral covered hillsides in the area of the fire are not considered to be forests as commonly understood by the public or wildfire experts.

[81] The firemen's union disagreed with President Trump's claims, noting that California experienced unusually dry conditions and abnormally high fire danger at the time.

[96][97][98] Scientists analyzed coastal water quality and found unusually high levels of fecal bacteria and sediment that remained for months.

[99] The Santa Susana Field Laboratory site has been undergoing a cleanup of the contamination from a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959 and extensive rocket engine testing.

"[100] Bob Dodge, President of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, said "When it burns and becomes airborne in smoke and ash, there is real possibility of heightened exposure for area residents.

"[100] In 2019, Risk Assessment Corporation (RAC) conducted soil sampling surrounding the SSFL, and performed source term estimation, atmospheric transport, and deposition modeling.