5th UPDATE 4:30 p.m. The Franklin Fire in Malibu, fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds, has now burned over 2,800 acres and is still zero percent contained, CalFire said Tuesday.
Some 2,000 structures are under mandatory evacuation orders, but only a “minimal” number of homes have been destroyed and no injuries are reported, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
All Malibu schools within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were closed Tuesday, according to the district. It’s unclear if they will reopen Wednesday.
Dick Van Dyke, one of many celebrity residents in Malibu, told The Associated Press he and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuated as the fire swept in. “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.” Van Dyke turns 99 on Friday.
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4th UPDATE 12:20 pm: A wildfire driven by fierce Santa Ana winds has grown to 2,600 acres with zero percent containment, CalFire said Tuesday.
About 2,000 structures are under mandatory evacuation orders, but with only a “minimal” number of homes destroyed, officials say.
“However, we know homes have been damaged or destroyed, but we do not have details on numbers yet,” the city of Malibu said in a statement. “Our hearts and thoughts go out to all those impacted, we will do everything possible to support their recovery.”
No injuries have been reported and the cause remains under investigation.
Earlier today, Pepperdine University officials lifted a brief shelter-in-place protocol for those on campus, but canceled classes and final exams for today. Officials noted that the university may reinstate the shelter-in-place protocol if conditions worsen.
The city announced that Palisades Recreation Center at 851 Alma Real Dr. has been upgraded to an evacuation center and is currently open, accepting pets in carriers or crates, and it is a large animal evacuation site.
Large animal shelter also is available at Pierce College in Woodland Hills (6201 Winnetka Ave at Victory Blvd).
SCE is offering a discounted rate at certain hotels for evacuees. Here is the link at the city’s website.
Fire crews were hoping to take advantage of calmer winds Tuesday afternoon, before gusts are expected to pick up later this evening. Peak wind gusts of nearly 50 mph were recorded in the Malibu area
overnight, according to the NWS.
3rd UPDATE, 8:44 am: A shelter-in-place order for Pepperdine University has been lifted for now. In a post on X, university officials said a daybreak reassessment of campus conditions has led to a lifting of its shelter-in-place protocol. “Campus conditions are safe for members of the community to return to student residences and on-campus homes. The community is strongly encouraged to remain on campus.”
Officials added power remains out for much of the campus and Malibu area, and if conditions worsen, the unversity may reinstate the shelter-in-place protocol.
After assessing campus conditions at daybreak, the university is lifting the shelter-in-place protocol. Campus conditions are safe for members of the community to return to student residences and on-campus homes. The community is strongly encouraged to remain on campus and stay…
— Pepperdine University (@pepperdine) December 10, 2024
UPDATED 8 AM: A fast-moving wildfire driven by strong Santa Ana winds that broke out late Monday in Malibu has exploded to 2,200 acres with no containment.
Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road, along with the Serra Retreat area, fire officials said in a post to X. Malibu city officials extended mandatory evacuation orders at 2:36 a.m. from Tuna Canyon to Puerco Canyon, with an evacuation warning for Puerco Canyon to Trancas Canyon.
A shelter in place order remains in effect for Pepperdine University students. Classes have been canceled, along with final exams, and power outages have been reported at the campus. Malibu city schools also have been canceled for the day.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for areas of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties as warm, dry Santa Ana winds produced gusts up to 80 mph.
An unknown number of homes and structures have been destroyed or damaged. Some 2,000 structures are threatened, according to Fox11.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
City News Service contributed to this report.
This story is developing and we will continue to update.
PREVIOUS, 1:14 AM Tuesday: A fire was sparked shortly before midnight tonight off Malibu Canyon Road just east of Pepperdine in Malibu. The blaze quickly erupted to 100-plus acres in minutes, driven by wind gusts up to 50 mph on hilltops and in canyons.
Local TV news quickly picked up the story, cutting into regular programming and broadcasting arresting images of the blaze.
While Pepperdine students are sheltering in place as the fire seems to be holding east of Malibu Canyon Road, much of central Malibu, Surfrider Beach and the famed Malibu Colony are under evacuation orders. The order covers the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road, as well as around the Serra Retreat. Portions of PCH, Malibu Canyon and Mullholland Highway were closed, according to KTLA5.
The area in red on the map above is under a mandatory evacuation order. An evacuation order has been issued for the yellow area, per Los Angeles County’s emergency web site.
3RD ALARM BRUSH FIRE | FS88 | Malibu Canyon Rd & Station Boundary #Malibu | #LACoFD units are on-scene of a 100 acre fire. There is a mandatory evacuation order east of Malibu Canyon Rd and South of Piuma Rd as well as the Serra Retreat area. #FranklinFire
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) December 10, 2024
The fire has been dubbed The Franklin Fire.
The incident likely brings back tough memories for many in the evacuation area, as the Woolsey Fire in 2019 ripped through 97,000 acres in Malibu and destroyed 1600 structures. Many residents are still rebuilding.
Forecasters said the peak of the current “particularly dangerous situation red flag warning” could see winds of 25 to 40 mph, gusting to 65 mph in typically wind-prone areas.
“Some of the windier foothills and mountains will likely see wind speeds of 30 to 50 mph with damaging wind gusts in the 60 to 80 mph range during the peak of the event (Monday night) into Tuesday,” according to the NWS. “Some of the highest wind areas will likely be the San Gabriels, Santa Susanas, western Santa Monicas into Malibu, Ventura county valleys (especially Simi Valley and Moorpark), and western San Fernando Valley (especially Highway 118/210 corridors from Porter Ranch to San Fernando).”
Humidity levels, meanwhile, could fall to as low as 5% in some areas, “with isolated readings as low as 2% likely,” forecasters said.
As is typical during red flag conditions, Southern California Edison advised thousands of customers that they could be subject to power cuts designed to prevent electrical equipment from sparking wildfires during threatening winds.
Due to the Santa Ana winds and critical fire danger conditions, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Mulholland Drive and Pacific Coast Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains at noon on Monday. The closure was expected to continue 6 p.m. Wednesday. Authorities say only residents and local business traffic will be allowed into the canyon.
City News Service contributed to this report.