Southern California fire grows to more than 3,800 acres in Malibu amid dangerous conditions
A brush fire that broke out on Monday evening in Malibu Canyon has led to mandatory evacuation orders in parts of Southern California, authorities said.
The Franklin Fire began approximately 3 miles north of the Pacific Coastal Highway in Malibu on Monday and has spread to 3,893 acres with 0% containment as of Wednesday morning.
Crews are battling the fire amid dangerous Santa Ana wind conditions in the area, which are expected to remain a threat through Wednesday morning.
During a press conference Tuesday night, officials said seven structures were destroyed and eight others were damaged in the blaze.
City officials said the Los Angeles County Fire Department is on scene and trying to control the "rapid rate of spread."
The Franklin Fire was initially estimated at just about 10 acres but officials said it has grown to at least 100 acres, according to sister station KABC in Los Angeles. A high volume of dry brush in the area and strong Santa Ana winds means there is potential for the blaze to continue to spread rapidly.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference Tuesday that the cause of the fire remains unknown but arson is being investigated as a possible cause.
"The L.A. County Fire Department and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department are going to join forces with our arson investigators because it's going to be critical that we learn why this fire started," he said.
Evacuations were ordered in the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road as well as the Serra Retreat, KABC said.
The fire's flames were visible overnight from Pepperdine University's campus.
"Normal operations on the Malibu Campus are suspended for Tuesday," the university said in a statement on social media. "This includes canceling classes and finals for the day. Critical support personnel should connect with their supervisors about whether they are needed to physically report to the Malibu campus for their regular work shift. All other staff should connect with their supervisors and work remotely if possible. The Pepperdine community continues to shelter in place in Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center."
There are no immediate reports of injuries or structure damage and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pepperdine University cancels classes
The wildfire was not immediately encroaching on Pepperdine but the university was reporting power outages on campus. It appeared the flames were heading south in the direction of Santa Monica but Pepperdine suspended normal operations on campus on Tuesday.
"Normal operations on the Malibu Campus are suspended for Tuesday," the university said in a statement on social media. "This includes canceling classes and finals for the day. Critical support personnel should connect with their supervisors about whether they are needed to physically report to the Malibu campus for their regular work shift. All other staff should connect with their supervisors and work remotely if possible. The Pepperdine community continues to shelter in place in Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center. The Franklin fire has grown to 814 acres and flames are visible from the Malibu campus. There are numerous LA County Fire Department engines on campus and their helicopters are using the lakes in Alumni Park to pick up water to drop on the fire from above."
"The University understands the worst of the fire has pushed past Pepperdine," they continued. "However, there are smaller spot fires on campus that are not threatening life or structures, and fire resources remain on campus to address these spot fires as they occur. Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight. The EOC will continue to update the community."
Franklin Fire map
A real-time map provided by fire officials showed the perimeter and evacuation areas of the massive Franklin Fire.
The map on the Los Angeles County Fire Department website reflected the mandatory evacuation order that covered the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road, as well as the Serra Retreat area.
A damage estimate in the Malibu area was not available, but "it's certain some number of homes are definitely going to be badly damaged," said Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city.
