After a wildfire in Malibu, California, erupted overnight Monday, Pepperdine University temporarily implemented a shelter-in-place protocol and ordered evacuations.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department reports that the Franklin Fire started in the Malibu Canyon region just before 11 p.m. on Monday (2 a.m. ET on Tuesday). Strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation that is conducive to deadly wildfires have prompted red flag warnings in several areas of Southern California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that the fire had spread to over 2,800 acres by Tuesday afternoon. The extent of the fire’s containment was unclear.
According to the city of Malibu, the fire has expanded toward the Malibu Pier area, a popular tourist destination for both locals and surfers, along the Pacific Coast Highway, sometimes referred to as Highway 1.
At a news briefing on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone stated that a small number of residences had been damaged, although he did not specify the exact number. He stated there had been no reports of fatalities or major injuries.
Time is of the essential as firefighters on the ground and in the air fight the fire on difficult and steep terrain, he noted, adding that the Malibu area is still in danger.
According to him, the current red flag notice for strong winds and low humidity is expected to last until Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
About 18,000 individuals and 8,100 buildings, the most of which are under evacuation alerts, are in the impacted area, according to local officials.
According to fire officials, there is a mandatory evacuation order in place in the Serra Retreat area, south of Piuma Road, and east of Malibu Canyon Road. An evacuation center is being set up at the Palisades Recreation Center.
According to the offices of Governor Gavin Newsom, the state received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday to assist guarantee that essential resources will be available to put out the fire.
The fire’s cause is yet unknown. According to Marrone, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s arson investigators and the fire department are looking into it.
Although arson accounts for between 10% and 15% of California wildfires annually, climate change-related factors like rising temperatures and worsening drought are making it more likely that fires will start and spread swiftly.
According to Marrone, there is no denying that we are facing additional difficulties as a result of global warming.
According to the National Weather Service, about 12 million people in California, spanning from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, were under red flag warnings on Tuesday.
The Santa Monica Mountains had gusts of up to 60 mph due to Santa Ana winds, according to the local weather service. According to the report, a gust of 93 mph was reported Monday night in the San Gabriel Mountains, east of Los Angeles, while a gust of 76 mph was recorded Tuesday on Boney Mountain in the Santa Monica range.
Due to destructive Santa Ana winds and extremely low humidity, the weather service issued an unusual red flag warning for many regions, including Malibu, a coastal city north of Los Angeles that is well-known for housing many celebrities.
Dick Van Dykes, an entertainer and actor, claimed that he and his spouse were among those evacuated.
The San Gabriel Mountains, the Santa Clarita Valley, Calabasas, the beaches and valleys of Ventura County, and the western San Fernando Valley are among the other regions that are under the same “particularly dangerous” alert category.
Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Pepperdine University in Malibu issued a shelter-in-place alert for the community, which was rescinded just after 7 a.m. Anyone on campus at that period was instructed to seek refuge in the library or campus center.
Social media videos revealed orange flames outside school windows.
Around 7:30 a.m., school authorities issued a statement stating that while it was safe to return to on-campus housing, they also strongly advised the community to avoid off Malibu roads and stay on campus.
Classes and finals were canceled on Tuesday, and university operations were suspended.
Due to the wildfire risk, Southern California Edison, the region’s main utility supplier, has instituted power shutoffs for public safety. Over 10,000 consumers in Los Angeles County, almost 9,000 in San Bernardino County, and over 2,000 in Kern County are impacted by the outages. According to the mayor, a large portion of Malibu is also under shutdown.
The school district announced on Tuesday that all Malibu schools would be closed through Thursday.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, stated that her office is keeping an eye on the fire. She commented on X, “Thank you to all first responders working to battle this blaze.”
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