Franklin Fire in Malibu scorches 4,000 acres, thousands remain evacuated
The Franklin Fire in Malibu shifted directions overnight and continues to burn Wednesday as it reaches 4,031 acres and is 7% contained. Thousands of households remain under evacuation orders.
In a Wednesday morning news conference, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said the fire increased in size overnight by 39%, most significantly on the western edge. He said flames began backing down into Corral Canyon, threatening the Malibu RV Park community. "Structure threats were mitigated and additional structures were damaged," he said.
"Fire activity increased significantly on the west side as it crossed Puerco Canyon Ridge and began backing down into Corral Canyon due to the winds and steep terrain," Cal Fire wrote on its website.
Overall, the number of structures damaged from the Franklin Fire increased to nine, while the number of structures destroyed remains at seven. Morrone said Wednesday's weather conditions, including strong winds and low humidity "will be closely monitored today as they will play a critical role in fire behavior."
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said firefighters are aggressively working to control the fire along the perimeter and to protect structures. "The deep and rugged terrain, along with the strong winds and low humidity, continue to pose challenges for firefighters," the agency said Wednesday morning.
While the Malibu coast was expected to remain under a red flag warning into Wednesday afternoon, with weather conditions increasing the risk of fire growth, the National Weather Service office for Los Angeles had no warnings in place for Southern California as of 2:30 p.m.
There had also been warnings for the Santa Monica Mountains as well as the Ventura County coastline, valleys and mountains which were no longer in effect by Wednesday afternoon.
The massive blaze was first reported a little after 10:50 p.m. Monday near South Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary, just south of the Piuma area, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, it was estimated to be over 3,000 acres by Cal Fire. The state agency said the wildfire stood at 4,031 acres Wednesday afternoon.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday there are about 19,982 people and 7,560 structures in the affected area. Of the 7,560 structures, there are approximately 12,600 people under evacuation orders. About 7,382 people are under evacuation warnings.
"As of info we have now, there are no reports of significant injuries or deaths and that is a huge victory -- and that is because of this work being done," Luna said.
LAFD Chief Marrone said what started out as a 5-acre blaze on Malibu Canyon Road was quickly spread by Santa Ana winds.
The flames rapidly spread towards Pepperdine University overnight.
By 3 a.m., the Franklin Fire spread south across Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu Road, near Webb Way. It moved toward the Malibu Pier area and threatened some nearby structures along Malibu Knolls Road and the Sweetwater Mesa area.
Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city of Malibu, said early Tuesday morning that the pier is safe.
"I think the preponderance of structures being impacted around here are going to be homes," he said.
"We remain under immediate threat because of the Red Flag conditions," Myerhoff said. "We would like to get some containment by this afternoon."
By Wednesday, the flames had completely shifted direction from burning to the east and north to marching to the 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.
Arson investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.
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Evacuations in Malibu
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna provided the following evacuation update Wednesday morning:
Evacuation warnings -- south of Mulholland Highway, north of Pacific Coast Highway, east of Trancas, and west of Crestline. Residents in these areas should remain ready to evacuate if conditions worsen.
Evacuation orders -- south of Piuma road, east of Corral Canyon, and west of Big Rock.
More information on evacuations is available on the Malibu city website.
A list of shelters for displaced residents and animals:
- Palisades Recreation Center: 851 Alma Real Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
- Calabasas Community Center: 27040 Malibu Hills Rd., Calabasas, CA 91301
- Santa Monica Unified School District: 2828 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90405 (pet crates welcome)
- Agoura Animal Care Center: 29525 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (for small animals)
- Pierce College: 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (for large animals)
Malibu city officials established an emergency station at Zuma Beach, to help impacted residents with updates, food, water and first aid. Officials closed the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center off Alma Real Drive.
"The way evacuations are conducted by the Sheriff's department is they go door to door. They drive up and down the streets with a blowhorn and they knock on every single door. They wake people up and get them out of their houses," Myerhoff said.
He 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.
"We are safe. All retreats evacuated safely," the Serra Retreat said. "Looks like the fire is on the retreat center property but there are several fire trucks there. Hopefully, they can contain it. "
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 City Hall, parks, and facilities were closed Tuesday, with all programs and meetings suspended, according to the city of Malibu.
Below is a real-time map outlining evacuation orders and warnings.
A temporary evacuation center was opened as the Palisades Recreation Center, located at 851 Alma Real Drive. Large animals could be taken to Pierce College in Winnetka.
Malibu roads impacted
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 Wednesday morning:
- Pacific Coast Highway: Between Tuna Canyon and Kanan Dume
- Malibu Canyon and La Virigenes: Between Pacific Coast Highway and Mulholland Highway
- Topanga Canyon Boulevard: Between Pacific Coast Highway and Mulholland Highway
"Stay away from the Malibu area, if you can, at all costs," Deputy Tracy Koerner said.
Fire approaches Pepperdine University
Pepperdine school officials continue to closely monitor the fire since it first ignited Monday night. Officials first released the statement that the fire was not affecting the university campus, but that "The Malibu Campus and local area may experience some power outages related to this incident."
However, at 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire continued to crawl closer and closer to the university, forcing the administration to issue a shelter-in-place order.
Since then the university has reinstated and lifted shelter-in-place orders as fire conditions have fluctuated in the area. Shortly after 8 a.m., the power was restored on campus.
The initial shelter-in-place order instructed students and residents to gather in two central locations on campus. Several students were preparing for final exams when they received notifications from school officials.
"All community members on the Malibu campus are directed to shelter in place in the Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library," the administration posted on X. "Despite any evacuation orders from Malibu city or surrounding areas, the University community should follow University instructions."
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.
Classes and final exams have been canceled for the remainder of the week.
Malibu school closures
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced that all Malibu schools are closed until Dec. 12.
The closures will affect Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle and Malibu High School. All of the Santa Monica schools will remain open.
"At this time, many Webster families are under evacuation orders, and several families in other Malibu neighborhoods are under evacuation watch due to the Franklin Fire. Our district's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is closely monitoring the situation, and we are prepared to respond as conditions evolve," Superintendent, Dr. Antonio Shelton wrote in a community announcement.
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
Southern California Edison reported on Wednesday there were 9,269 customers in Los Angeles County without power due to public safety power shutoffs. Another 6,910 customers in the county were under consideration for shutoffs.
The city of Malibu said it has deployed changeable message signs, and backup generators to keep traffic signals on PCH operating. The city also advised that should the power go out, and because of spotty cell service, residents can monitor local AM and FM radio, and 99.1 FM KBUU for emergency information.
Red flag warning
Weather officials raised concerns over fire danger that would impact most of Southern California. Unusually low humidity paired with a powerful Santa Ana winds movement created dangerous conditions, which led them to issue a "particularly dangerous situation red flag warning" beginning Monday night and continuing until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
In response, SoCal Edison warned tens of thousands of residents living throughout LA County that their service may be shut off if the winds intensify.
Conditions are similar to the weather when the Mountain Fire erupted in Ventura County in early November. That blaze torched nearly 20,000 acres and destroyed more than 200 structures.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
