Like the Franklin fire in Malibu has been pushed away from homes and entered steep terrain, making the 4,037-acre fire difficult for crews to access. Even though firefighters have made progress, it remains 7% under control.
More than 2,000 firefighters battled the flames and have now turned their attention to defending structures. Since the fire broke out on Monday evening, nine buildings have been destroyed and six damaged.
Getty Images
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said 25% of the affected area has been investigated. Smoke warnings have been issued for surrounding areas. People are advised to limit or avoid outdoor activities.
Some residents have returned to their homes, but several areas remained closed and accessible only to emergency services.
“I grabbed a few things, threw them in a van and left and that was it,” said Shawn Smith, a Malibu resident affected by the fire. “I’m just now coming back to see how lucky we were.”
Fire and local officials quickly responded to the fire and issued evacuation orders.
Red flag warnings have expired and winds have subsided, bringing better weather conditions. Crews fighting the fire on the ground have received assistance from water-dropping aircraft.
The fire was first reported just after 10:50 pm on Monday. Anthony Morrone, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said the fire started as a 5-acre blaze on Malibu Canyon Road but grew quickly after gusts of wind spread embers through vegetation.
By early Tuesday morning, the flames had spread south along Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu Road, near Webb Way. On Wednesday, the direction of the fire shifted from burning to the east and north to west.
“Containment lines were improved with fire retardant drops and the construction of new handlines to connect gaps along the rugged eastern edge of the fire,” Marrone said.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state has been awarded a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to ensure resources are available to help fight the fire.
Officials have not determined a cause of the fire.
Evacuations in Malibu
Thousands of Malibu residents remain evacuated.
Evacuation orders: South of Piuma Road, north of the Pacific Ocean coastline, east of Puerco Canyon Road/Corral Canyon Park, west of Los Flores Canyon Road, between the Pacific Ocean coastline and Tuna Canyon Park, west of Tuna Canyon Rd
Evacuation Warnings: East of Trancas Canyon Road and Kanan Dune Road, west of Topanga Canyon Blvd/Surfview Drive, south of Mulholland Highway, north of the Evacuation Order boundary. Including Topanga Zone 8 and 10
Matt Myerhoff, a spokesman for the city of Malibu, said he is using the lessons learned from the Woolsey fire 2018First responders communicate via LA-RICS radios purchased by the city, as power outages affect cell phone service and all other forms of communication.
Getty Images
A resident named Linda said her boss’s home was destroyed while she was trying to evacuate horses.
“It’s happening so fast,” she said. ‘I’m worried about the two horses I left there. I know the house is gone. I went back inside to look for the two horses, but it was too dangerous.”
Road closures in Malibu
There is no estimated time for this when many roads open again. Traffic lights fail in areas where there is a power outage. As of Thursday morning, the following closures remain in effect:
- Tuna Canyon off Pacific Coast Highway
- Kanan on the Pacific Coast Highway
- Saddle Peak at Tuna Canyon
- Stunt road at Mulholland Highway
- Cold Canyon at Piuma Road
- Piuma Road at Malibu Canyon all the way to the Pacific Coast Highway
The fallout from Pepperdine University
Flames quickly spread across the etch closure to Pepperdine University on Tuesday morning, forcing the university to issue a release orders on site. Students and residents were instructed to gather at two central locations.
The orders were lifted and reinstated as fire conditions fluctuated near campus.
Power was restored to campus on Wednesday morning.
Bloomberg
The university has canceled classes and final exams for the rest of the week.
The government stated that their “protocol has been approved by LA County Fire and is being implemented with their cooperation.” All classes and finals have been canceled for the rest of the week.
The worst of the fire passed through Pepperdine at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, but hot spots remained around campus.
Malibu school closures
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has announced that all Malibu schools will be closed until December 12.
The closures are in effect for Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle and Malibu High School.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, which has schools in the neighboring Topanga and Pacific Palisades area, said schools are open and that they are “closely monitoring the Franklin Fire and its potential impact on our communities.”
Power shutoffs for public safety
As of Thursday morning, Southern California Edison reported that no customers in LA County were without power due to public safety power shutoffs. They said 1,414 customers in the province were eligible for disconnection.
