Just one day after it sparked, the so-called Franklin Fire in Malibu, California, has grown to over 4,000 acres and forced 20,000 people out of their homes as firefighters continue to work to contain the blaze.
Updates from CalFire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department on Wednesday showed the fire was only 7% contained.
Weather conditions that helped fuel the massive flames are expected to improve as the week continues, with the strongest of the gusty Santa Ana winds behind us, the National Weather Service said. But even with the slight improvements, critical fire conditions remain.
More than 1,500 firefighters were battling the blaze, with many climbing through steep canyons near lines of flames and others hosing down collapsed roofs of horse stables and charred homes. Aircraft dropped water and flame retardant.
The fire erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Monday and swiftly moved south, jumping over the famous Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean, where large homes line the beach and rugged inland canyons are notoriously fire-prone. At one point, flames threatened the historic Malibu Pier, but the structure was protected, officials said.
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Power to about 40,000 customers had been shut off by Monday night, including 11,000 in LA County, as Southern California Edison worked to mitigate the impacts of the Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires. Gabriela Ornelas, an Edison spokesperson, said service power was shut off to most customers in Malibu around 6 or 7 p.m. on Monday.
Much of the devastation occurred in Malibu, a community of about 10,000 people on the western edge of Los Angeles renowned for its stunning scenery of seaside bluffs and Zuma Beach featured in Hollywood films. Flames burned near celebrities’ seaside mansions, horse farms and Pepperdine University, where some 3,000 students were forced to shelter in place on campus. Many evacuated their dorms to the library through smoke and ash as flames roared in the canyon nearby.
Van Dyke, one of many celebrities with homes in Malibu, said he and his wife, Arlene Silver, had evacuated as the fire swept in. The actor turns 99 on Friday. “Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” said Van Dyke, referring to one of their cats. “We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
Cher evacuated from her Malibu home when ordered and is staying at a hotel, her publicist Liz Rosenberg said late Tuesday.
It was not immediately known how the blaze started. Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony C. Marrone said a preliminary aerial assessment estimates that seven structures were destroyed and eight structures damaged.
The Malibu City Hall was in the fire’s path, so officials had to relocate to nearby Calabasas as a base for emergency operations, he continued.
