Amid windy, dry conditions in Malibu, California, a wildfire grew rapidly, threatening numerous structures and forcing residents to flee.
It was called the Franklin Fire and had burned more than 1 square mile near the Pepperdine University campus by early Tuesday morning. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but Santa Ana winds were responsible for extremely dangerous fire conditions across much of Southern California.
According to KTLA-TV, firefighters first responded to the fire on Monday evening around 10:45 p.m. local time.
(MORE: ‘Extremely dangerous situation’ Santa Ana wind event in SoCal)
Classes at Pepperdine were canceled Tuesday due to the fire and a shelter-in-place order was underway. An evacuation order had been issued for some homes east of Malibu Canyon Road, the Los Angeles County Fire Department announced.
North to northeasterly winds were expected to increase to 30 to 60 mph with gusts up to 65 mph expected, the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office reported on X.
Power was cut to tens of thousands of people Monday evening as utilities worked to mitigate the effects of Southern California’s infamous Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for a high fire risk with a rare “particularly hazardous situation,” or IBS, a designation that begins Monday through Tuesday at 8 p.m. for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Information from the Associated Press was used for this report.
