LIVE: Franklin Fire in Malibu prompts evacuations and road closures as 18,000 residents affected

MALIBU, CALIFORNIA. – More than 700 firefighters continued to battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which broke out Monday evening near Malibu Canyon Road, north of the Pepperdine University campus. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the fire had grown to nearly 2,600 acres and had 0% containment, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds.

The fire closed the Pacific Coast Highway and residents had to be evacuated. Only a “minimal” number of houses were destroyed and fortunately no injuries were reported.

Location of the Franklin Fire in Malibu

Shortly before 11 p.m. Monday, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded to Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu Creek State Park, where a large amount of dry brush contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. It erupted amid a rare “Red Flag Warning for Particularly Hazardous Situations” issued by the National Weather Service in response to strong wind gusts and dramatic dry conditions.

Malibu Fire Protection

Chief Anthony Marrone said at an 8 a.m. briefing that no containment had been reported. The National Weather Service noted that the “Particularly Hazardous Situation Warning” would expire at 2 p.m. Tuesday, but that red flag conditions were expected to continue through the following afternoon, Wednesday. Firefighting efforts hoped to take advantage of lower wind speeds Tuesday afternoon ahead of an expected increase in wind gusts later.

Peak wind gusts of nearly 50 miles per hour were recorded overnight, highlighting the dire weather challenges.

What started the Malibu fire?

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by LA County Fire and the sheriff’s arson teams.

Evacuation order and warnings

A mandatory evacuation order applies to the following areas:

• East of Malibu Canyon Road
• South of Piuma Road
• Serra retreat
• From Tuna Canyon to Puerco Canyon
• North of the Pacific Ocean coast, east of Puerco Canyon Road/Corral Canyon Park to Los Flores Canyon Road
• Between the Pacific Ocean coast and Tuna Canyon Park west of Tuna Canyon Road

There was a warning for:

• East of Trancas Canyon Road and Kanan Dune Road
• West of Topanga Canyon Boulevard/Surfview Drive
• South of Mulholland Highway
• North of the evacuation order boundary

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna mentioned that the sheriff’s department deployed over 150 personnel for evacuations, road closures and security patrols. Strict closures are in effect on Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway.

Evacuation shelters

Residents: Pacific Palisades Recreation Center, 851 Armory Drive, Pacific Palisades.

Small animals: Agoura Animal Shelter, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills.

Large animals: Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills.

Franklin Fire Malibu Map

According to Sheriff Luna, around 18,000 people and 8,100 buildings were in the area at risk. Of these buildings, around 2,000 are under evacuation orders.

Road closures

• A soft closure remains in effect on Las Virgenes and Lost Hills roads.

• Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Kanan Dume Road.
• Topanga Canyon Boulevard is also closed in both directions between Mulholland Drive and PCH.
• Malibu Canyon Road is closed in both directions between Piuma Road and PCH.

Strong wind warning

In addition to the wildfire, parts of Los Angeles County, including Malibu, are facing a red flag warning and a high wind warning. These warnings issued by the NWS resulted from the Santa Ana wind event, which was forecast to last into the early afternoon with winds easing later Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the strong and very dangerous Santa Ana wind event will continue into the early afternoon in portions of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, with winds decreasing throughout the afternoon into Wednesday.

FOX 11 meteorologist Maria Quiban said the dry conditions with high winds combined with the dry brush terrain and vegetation was the “perfect recipe.” She added that prevailing winds were blowing from the upper levels of the atmosphere and that wind gusts were between 45 and 55 miles per hour and even up to 80 miles per hour in isolated areas.

RECOMMENDED: Strong winds in Santa Ana threaten Southern California with “highest possible” fire danger

school closings

In response to the fire and poor air quality, all Malibu schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were closed Tuesday.

Pepperdine University has canceled classes and final exams for Tuesday, December 10th. Shortly before news of the class cancellation broke, the school issued a curfew on campus, affecting approximately 800 students. At the time of the shelter-in-place mandate, Pepperdine required all community members on the Malibu campus to locate at the Tyler Campus Center or the Payson Library.

FOX 11 spoke with Pepperdine University students who were sheltering in place in one of the libraries. Gabrielle Salgado said students were in a fireproof campus library wearing masks as they watched the fire spread through the building’s windows.

On Tuesday morning, the shelter-in-place order was lifted and students were allowed to return to their on-campus housing.

Power shutdowns

After the fires, Southern California Edison shut off power to parts of Malibu.

Emergency declarations and assistance

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kathryn Barger issued an emergency declaration early Tuesday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom reported that the state received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help fight the blaze, recognizing the tireless efforts of firefighters and first responders. Newsom urged residents of affected areas to remain vigilant and follow evacuation orders.