Wildfire burns through more than 2,000 acres in Malibu, California, prompting evacuations

A wildfire in Malibu, California, burned more than 2,000 acres overnight, prompting evacuations and a brief shelter-in-place protocol at Pepperdine University.

The Franklin Fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. local time Monday (2 a.m. ET Tuesday) in the Malibu Canyon area, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire comes as many parts of Southern California are under red flag warnings due to strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity and dry vegetation – conditions ripe for dangerous wildfires.

By around 7 a.m. local time Tuesday, the fire had grown to 2,200 acres and was 0% contained.

According to the city of MalibuThe fire has spread along the Pacific Coast Highway (also known as Highway 1) toward the Malibu Pier area, a tourist attraction also appreciated by locals and surfers.

“The Malibu Pier and other structures are affected,” the city said.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Tuesday that “a minimal number” of homes had been destroyed, but he did not say how many. So far, no serious injuries or fatalities have been reported, he stated.

The Malibu area remains threatened, Marrone added, and “time is of the essence” as crews in the air and on the ground battle the fire in steep, challenging terrain.

“The current red flag warning is expected to continue until Wednesday night at 8pm due to strong winds and low humidity,” he said.

Local officials said approximately 18,000 people and 8,100 structures are in the affected area, and most are under evacuation warnings.

A mandatory evacuation order is in place east of Malibu Canyon Road, south of Piuma Road and in the Serra Retreat area, fire officials said. The Palisades Recreation Center is being used as an evacuation center.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office said Tuesday in X that the state had obtained a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency “to help ensure the availability of vital resources to extinguish the fire.”

Marrone said he hopes the fire will be somewhat contained by Tuesday afternoon, but current wind conditions could pose problems.

“Rest assured, we are going to have a coordinated air and ground attack on this fire for as long as it takes,” he said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Marrone said it is under investigation by the fire department and arson investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Red flag warnings in California affect about 12 million residents from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Forecasts suggest wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph are possible, along with the risk of falling trees and power outages.

“A strong, widespread, long-duration Santa Ana event will bring widespread, critical to extremely critical, fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday,” the statement said. The National Weather Service said Monday when he issued the red flag warning.

As of Tuesday morning, the strongest gusts associated with the Santa Ana winds had reached 93 mph on a trail in the San Gabriel Mountains, 77 mph in the Santa Susana Mountains and 74 mph in the Oakridge oil field of the Ventura County, according to National Weather Service Los Angeles Office.

Malibu, a coastal city north of Los Angeles known for being home to many celebrities, was one of several areas under a rare “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning “due to damaging Santa Ana winds and very low humidities.” “, according to meteorological service. The warning went into effect at 8 pm local time on Monday and was scheduled to last until 2 pm on Tuesday.

Other areas under the same “particularly dangerous” warning level include the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, Calabasas, the coasts and valleys of Ventura County and the western San Fernando Valley.

Pepperdine University, located in Malibu, issued a shelter in place notice for community members around 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday, then lifted the order shortly after 7 a.m. During that time, anyone on campus was directed to take shelter in the campus center or the school library.

Videos on social networks showed orange visible flames exterior windows of the school.

In a statement Around 7:30 a.m. local time, school officials said it was safe to return to campus residences, but added that “the community is strongly encouraged to remain on campus and stay off Malibu roads.”

Operations at the university were suspended Tuesday and classes and final exams were canceled.

Southern California Edison, a major utility provider in the area, has implemented public safety power shutoffs due to the risk of wildfires. Those outages affect more than 10,000 customers in Los Angeles County, nearly 9,000 in San Bernardino County and more than 2,000 in Kern County. Shutoffs are also in effect in much of Malibu, the city said.

All Malibu schools are closed on Tuesdays.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her office is monitoring the fire. “Thank you to all the first responders working to fight this fire.” she wrote in.