The Franklin Fire in Malibu, fanned by high winds, has burned more than 10,000 acres this week, but a change in weather and the end of red flag warnings are giving firefighters hope of extinguishing the inferno.
The fire, which started Monday evening, has spread to 4,037 acres with 20% containment in the popular beach enclave, the city of Malibu said Thursday afternoon.
Thousands of residents have been issued evacuation orders and warnings, but the city said officials were preparing to allow some people to return home after an inspection of roads, utilities and other infrastructure.
For those who cannot yet return home, Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said in a statement: “Please know that we are working tirelessly to get you back safely. Together we will rebuild and emerge stronger than ever.”
Los Angeles County firefighters extinguished hot spots in Malibu, California, on Wednesday.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters are battling the blaze. Firefighters were seen dropping water and pink fire retardant by plane over the brush-covered Santa Monica Mountains.
The fire destroyed nine buildings, damaged others, led to the closure of portions of the Pacific Coast Highway, closed schools and prompted a shelter-in-place order at Pepperdine University.
As of Wednesday evening, 6,300 people had been evacuated, fire officials said.
Some are celebrities who live in the coveted beach enclave, including film legend Dick Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday.
“It came from over the hill, you could see it, and oh my God, we got out of here,” he said.
The actor shared a video from his doorbell camera that showed the moment he evacuated with his wife Arlene and their pets. Van Dyke explained that he was struggling to put out a small fire on his property, when quick-thinking neighbors came to his aid.
“I tried to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t get up,” he remembers. “Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a small fire in the boarding house and saved me.”
Many are facing losses as their communities have been devastated by the fire.
Newlyweds Michelle and Blake Geffen, who only recently moved into a home in the Serra Retreat Community in Malibu, were evacuated on Monday, leaving with only their cat, passports and other important belongings.
“We heard screaming in our neighborhood. And we just knew something was wrong. And we got a call from our landlord and he just said, ‘Hey, there’s a fire, you gotta go,’” Michelle Geffen told NBC Los Angeles. “We looked back and just saw orange lights burning.”
From the news they found out that their rental home and all their belongings had been destroyed in the fire.
Los Angeles County firefighters at a home destroyed by the Franklin Fire in Malibu, California, on Wednesday.
At Pepperdine University, a shelter-in-place protocol for the Malibu campus was lifted on Wednesday and power was restored to the campus. It came after students hunkered down on campus earlier this week as bright orange flames burned dangerously close to the university.
The Franklin Fire exploded while the region was under red flag warnings and a rarely issued “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning earlier this week. Red flag warnings are issued during strong gusts of wind, extremely dry vegetation and low humidity, making conditions ripe for fire ignition and rapid spread.
Officials said calmer weather helped firefighters tackle the flames and set up a containment line.
But there is still more work to do.
He said one of the most challenging areas of the fire was on the west side in the Malibu Canyon area.
“It is extremely steep and inaccessible terrain where the fire is located and we are working to get firefighters there to tackle that. When we went around the fire today, we were able to get personnel in and establish a direct line,” he said.
On site is the newly formed Los Angeles County Community Fire Brigade, which consists of approximately 45 volunteers.
“Yeah, maybe we’ll set water on fire. For me, the real impactful work is advocating for better fire adaptation in our community,” Keegan Gibbs, director of operations for the LA County Community Fire Brigade, told NBC Los Angeles.
Gibbs said the opportunity to join the brigade and receive training empowers community members who have suffered losses in previous brutal fires.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
