Franklin Fire in Malibu scorches nearly 4,000 acres, thousands remain evacuated

The Franklin Fire in Malibu shifted directions and continues to burn Wednesday as it reaches 3,983 acres and is 7% contained. Thousands of households remain under evacuation orders.

Students at the Pepperdine University campus, close to where the fire originated Monday night, remain under a shelter-in-place order Wednesday morning. 

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 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. A Red Flag warning remains in effect until Thursday afternoon.

In a news conference Tuesday, county officials said that based on preliminary reports the fire destroyed seven structures and damaged another eight. 

The massive fire 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 3,049 acres by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.  

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Tuesday that approximately 18,000 people and 8,100 structures are in the affected area. Of the 8,100 structures, 2,043 are under evacuation orders and 6,046 are under evacuation warnings.  

Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said a 5-acre blaze that began 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 don’t have information yet if they are damaged or if they are destroyed, that’s too soon to say … we just know fire crews are battling those.”

Marrone said Tuesday that there are no reports of serious injuries or fatalities, but he warned the fire is not contained. 

“We remain under immediate threat because of the Red Flag conditions,” he said. “We would like to get some containment by this afternoon.”        

By Wednesday morning, the flames had completely shifted direction from burning to the east and north, to marching to the west.  

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.

RELATED: What is defensible space and how to protect your home from wildfires

Evacuations in Malibu 

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies were working to evacuate residents living in zone MAL-C112, which includes the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and South of Piuma Road as well as the Serra Retreat. More information on evacuations is available on the Malibu city website. 

A list of shelters for displaced residents and animals:

• 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)
• Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District PDLC, 2828 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90405 (for small 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 are 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 Wednesday:  

• 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. the fire continued to crawl closer and closer to the university, forcing the administration to issue a shelter-in-place order. 

“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 were canceled for the day. 

The worst of the fire pushed past Pepperdine by 3:30 a.m., but hotspots continued to linger around the campus. 

“Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight,” the university posted on X. “The EOC will continue to update the community.”

The school lifted the shelter-in-place order around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. 

“After assessing campus conditions at daybreak, the EOC 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 university wrote. 

However, Pepperdine reactivated the shelter-in-place order at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, which continues Wednesday morning as power remains out for much of the campus, and students were advised to not use elevators. 

The university canceled classes and final exams 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. 

“Authorities are urging residents and visitors to stay clear of the area, as the fire continues to pose a significant threat,” Superintendent, Dr. Antonio Shelton wrote in a community announcement. 

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.”

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 that there are 11,555 customers in Los Angeles County without power due to public safety power shutoffs. Another 38,051 customers in the county are 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.

In response, SoCal Edison warned tens of thousands of residents living throughout Los Angeles County that their service may be shut off if the winds intensify. 

Tuesday morning, winds in Malibu were gusting 40 mph, with peak winds expected from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday. KCAL News meteorologist Paul Deanno said while the strongest winds are expected around 7 a.m., the fire danger remains high even after the worst of the winds have passed because of low humidity.

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.