Malibu has experienced devastating fires in the past, but this time they managed to get a break

Conditions late Monday were primed for an explosive wildfire.

Meteorologists had issued a rare, particularly dangerous fire weather warning across much of Southern California as strong Santa Ana winds were expected to further dry an already parched landscape.

So when the Franklin Fire broke out in Malibu on Monday evening, a real catastrophe loomed.

Malibu is one of the most fire-prone parts of Southern California and is often in the catchment area of ​​the Santa Ana winds, which push fires toward the Pacific Ocean.

But this time the coastal city seems to have taken a break.

On Tuesday afternoon the wind decreased and no longer reached historical speeds. This enabled an airstrike on the fire using aircraft and helicopters, which officials said helped save homes.

The location of the fire not far from the sea also reduced the space for the fire to spread.

Although Malibu is not outside the danger zone, property damage was reported as moderate and no major injuries were reported. That’s a stark contrast to some of the devastating fires that have hit the region in recent years.

Last month’s mountain fire in Ventura County, as well as the massive Thomas and Woolsey fires, exploded with powerful winds that pushed the flames for miles and grounded firefighting planes.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Franklin fire had grown to an estimated 2,700 acres and widespread evacuations were still taking place. The National Weather Service reported sustained winds of up to 45 mph and gusts of up to 65 mph around the fire, but the worst of the winds — which are typically the driving factor for these dangerous late-season fires — have passed.

“Broadly speaking, we’re going to see these (winds) die down,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “Tomorrow it should be significantly less.”

Although there were winds in excess of 80 or 90 miles per hour in the metropolitan area, the speeds around the Franklin Fire were significantly lower, Wofford said. That wasn’t the case with last month’s mountain fire, where hurricane-force winds prevailed over the fire, pushing embers more than two miles away from the main fire line.

“The situation there with the Mountain Fire was different meteorologically because that area is more susceptible to those easterly winds,” Wofford said. He said the Franklin Fire’s location on the east side of the Santa Monica Mountains likely helped reduce wind speeds. If the fire had instead started in west Santa Monica – the site of the Woolsey Fire – he believes the fire could have been much worse.

“Santa Ana winds tend to be more easterly winds, so the western part of Santa Monica gets hit harder,” Wofford said, explaining that they tend to blow over the mountain passes from the Santa Clarita area. He said the area between the Santa Monica and Santa Susanna mountains is a corridor more exposed to these dangerous winds.

Less dramatic winds also eased the initial response to the firefight, allowing helicopters with night vision capabilities to fly most of the night during the first hours of the Franklin fire, directing crews to the most urgent areas of attack. At daybreak, two larger air tankers called Super Scoopers were also able to join the operation, officials said.

“There are a lot of geographical features, canyons, drainages, coupled with, you know, these strong winds. All of this, all of these factors can work together to create very dangerous fire conditions. That’s why we’re working as hard as we can,” said LA County Fire Chief Kealiinohopono Barnes.

There was only a brief period around 3 a.m. when planes were grounded because of extreme winds, but the rest of the night they were able to operate “even in high winds,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

In the early hours of the mountain fire last month, winds kept most aircraft on the ground longer, although helicopters were still able to help, said Andrew Dowd, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

But any advantages that firefighters may have had on the Franklin fire compared to previous fires did not prevent a large-scale ground and air attack, officials said. Huge helicopters buzzed around Pepperdine University on Tuesday. One landed in a lagoon to soak up water before heading toward a massive plume of smoke in the distance.

“We will continue to conduct a coordinated air and ground attack on this fire for as long as necessary,” Marrone said. “Time is of the essence for us to get control of the fire and begin containment.”

Although conditions in Malibu may not be among the worst firefighters have ever seen, the Franklin Fire torched several vehicles and terrified residents who had to flee. Damage to structures is still being assessed.

Jessica Jones and Matthew Ryder grabbed essentials before the Franklin Fire made its way to their Serra Retreat home: Important documents. Bags full of clothes. Three goats. A pot-bellied pig.

The fire reached the property as the couple was leaving around midnight and they were waiting on the shore of the Pacific Coast Highway to plan where to go next. They slept in their truck in a trail parking lot and arrived at the Palisades Park evacuation center around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

“It was crazy,” Jones said. “As we set out, the bright red flames and glow of the fire could be seen around the ridgeline.”

Just Staff writers Richard Winton and Joseph Serna contributed to this report.