Malibu fires latest news: Franklin wildfire burns 4,000 acres as officials warn it will take ‘number of days’ to contain
Roughly 20,000 face evacuations in Malibu, including some celebrities, as fire continues to rage near Los Angeles
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Your support makes all the difference.A fast-moving wildfire has scorched more than 4,000 acres in Malibu, forcing 20,000 residents to flee as flames race towards homes, horse farms and Pepperdine University.
The Franklin Fire, another late-year wildfire fanned by fierce Santa Ana winds, has left a trail of destruction as officials confirmed seven structures destroyed and nine damaged. Fire officials say it will take a “number of days” to put out the blaze, according to NBC Los Angeles. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The strongest winds in the area have passed, and meteorologists said high fire dangers have decreased, which should aid efforts to contain the fire. Evacuations have displaced thousands of residents, including celebrities Dick Van Dyke and Cher.
Malibu mayor Doug Stewart called it a “traumatic 20 hours” for the city, as emergency operations relocated to Calabasas after the city hall was threatened. He said: “It burns, it grows back, and we're resilient.”
More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze with many roads closed and others under security patrols. At Pepperdine University, 3,000 students sheltered in place as smoke and embers engulfed the campus. “Ash was everywhere, embers were everywhere,” said a student, Bethany Kronlund.
Why Pepperdine students sheltered in place as wildfire threatened their campus
The wildfire alert came in the middle of the night as some college students in Southern California were cramming for final exams and others were woken up in their dorms.
But rather than run away from the impending blaze, some 3,000 students at Pepperdine University headed toward two buildings at the heart of the 830-acre (336-hectare) campus in coastal Malibu, California, to shelter in place.
The protocol at the Christian university with picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean may seem to defy logic to those accustomed to scenes elsewhere in wildfire-prone California of thousands of residents evacuating fire zones in lengthy caravans of cars.
Read more:
When fire threatened a California university, the school says it knew what to do
In coastal Southern California, a university has extensive plans for students to shelter in place in case of a wildfire
Wildfires conditions to ease by the end of the week
Firefighters in Southern California are continuing to battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which has scorched more than 3,000 acres since igniting late on Monday.
Although the powerful Santa Ana winds that fuelled the fire have begun to subside, forecasters warn that wildfire risks remain high through Wednesday due to low humidity.
Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told the New York Times that wind speeds, which peaked at 50mph on Tuesday, are expected to drop below 20mph by midday Wednesday. However, the dry conditions could still allow new fires to spark.
By Thursday, an increase in humidity and ocean breezes are expected to reduce the risk, with forecasters predicting light rain by the end of the week, offering some relief to the fire-stricken region.
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