Franklin Fire in Malibu enters steep terrain, scorches over 4,000 acres
As the Franklin Fire in Malibu has pushed away from homes, it has entered steep terrain making the 4,037-acre fire difficult for crews to access. Even though firefighters have made progress it remains 7% contained.
More than 2,000 firefighters have battled the flames and have now turned their focus toward structure defense. Since the fire exploded Monday night, nine structures have been destroyed and six damaged.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said 25% of the impacted area has been surveyed. Smoke advisories have been issued for surrounding areas. People are advised to limit or avoid outdoor activities.
Some residents have returned to their homes, but several areas remained closed and only accessible by emergency crews.
"I grabbed a few things threw them in a van and took off and that was it," said Shawn Smith, a Malibu resident impacted by the fire. "I'm just now returning to see how lucky we got."
Fire and local officials quickly responded to the fire, issuing evacuation orders.
Red flag warnings have expired, and winds have calmed down providing better weather conditions. Crews battling the fire on the ground have received assistance from water-dropping aircrafts.
The fire was first reported Monday just after 10:50 p.m. Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Morrone said the fire began a as 5-acre blaze on Malibu Canyon Road but quickly grew after gusty winds spread embers through the vegetation.
Early Tuesday morning flames had spread south across Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu Road, near Webb Way. By Wednesday the direction of the fire has shifted from burning east and north to moving west.
"Containment lines were improved with fire retardant drops and construction of new hand lines to connect the gaps along the rugged eastern edge of the fire," Marrone said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to ensure resources are available to help fight the blaze.
Officials have not identified a cause of the fire.
Evacuations in Malibu
Thousands of residents in Malibu remain under evacuation orders.
Evacuation orders: South of Piuma Road, north of the Pacific Ocean coastline, east of Puerco Canyon Road/Corral Canyon Park, west of Los Flores Canyon Road, Between the Pacific Ocean coastline and Tuna Canyon Park to the west of Tuna Canyon Road
Evacuation warnings: East of Trancas Canyon Road and Kanan Dune Road, west of Topanga Canyon Blvd/Surfview Drive, south of Mulholland Highway, north of the Evacuation Order boundary. Includes Topanga Zone 8 and 10
Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city of Malibu, said using lessons learned from the 2018 Woolsey Fire, first responders are communicating by way of LA-RICS radios that the city purchased, as power outages affect cell phone service and all other forms of communication.
A resident named Linda said her boss' house was destroyed while she was trying to evacuate horses.
"It's happening so quickly," she said. "I'm worried about two horses that I left in there. I know the house is gone. I went back in there to find the two horses but it was too dangerous."
Malibu road closures
There is no estimated time for when many of the roads will reopen. Traffic signals are out in areas experiencing power outages. The following closures remain in place as of Thursday morning:
- Tuna Canyon at Pacific Coast Highway
- Kanan at Pacific Coast Highway
- Saddle Peak at Tuna Canyon
- Stunt Road at Mulholland Highway
- Cold Canyon at Piuma Road
- Piuma Road at Malibu Canyon all the way to Pacific Coast Highway
Pepperdine University impacts
Flames rapidly spread etching closure to Pepperdine University Tuesday morning forcing the university to issue shelter-in-place orders. Students and residents were instructed to gather in two central locations.
The orders were lifted and reinstated as fire conditions near campus fluctuated.
Power was restored to the campus Wednesday morning.
The university canceled classes and final exams for the remainder of the week.
The administration stated that their "protocol is approved by LA County Fire and executed with their cooperation." All classes and finals have been canceled for the remainder of the week.
The worst of the fire pushed past Pepperdine by 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, but hotspots continued to linger around the campus.
Malibu school closures
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced that all Malibu schools are closed until Dec. 12.
The closures are in effect for Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle and Malibu High School.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, with schools in the neighboring Topanga and Pacific Palisades area, said schools are open and they are "closely monitoring the Franklin Fire and its potential impact on our communities."
Public safety power shutoffs
As of Thursday morning, Southern California Edison reported no customers in LA County were without power due to public safety power shutoffs. They said 1,414 customers in the county were under consideration for shutoffs.
