A wildfire in the coastal city of Malibu, California had nearly doubled in the past 24 hours, reaching nearly 6.5 square miles and destroying homes along the way, local officials reported Dec. 11.
The Franklin Fire is now 7 percent contained, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management (Cal Fire) reported before noon Wednesday.
Seven structures have been destroyed and nine were damaged since the fire started just before 11 p.m. Monday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters at a Wednesday morning briefing.
Fire crews were able to fight the flames with air and ground operations Tuesday, according to Cal Fire, which assumed management of the growing fire Wednesday.
Crews hope to make progress containing the blaze when winds decrease.
A powerful and prolonged Santa Ana wind event Monday night fueled the flames, which started at Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu Creek State Park. The wind mixed with low humidity to bring critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions across much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
Wednesday brought the possibility of wind coming from other directions to drive the fire.
“It’s been a wind-driven fire,” Marrone said Wednesday morning. “If the wind changes direction, we’re going to have the fire moving into new areas.”
Thousands of Malibu residents were forced to leave in the middle of the night after the fire started.
Malibu Mayor Pro Tem Doug Stewart said that on Wednesday morning residents woke again to a red sky from the lingering smoke.
“We’re far better off this morning than we were in the last 30-plus hours,” Stewart said. “Malibu is really a small town at heart. Our residents know each other. ... The homes that have been lost or damaged are people we know.”
Most shops in the downtown area were without power. Starbucks and Pavilions stores remained open by using a generator and were serving customers, Stewart said.
City employees were working from a neighboring City Hall in Calabasas while Malibu’s city offices remained under evacuation orders.
About 12,600 people remained under evacuation orders Wednesday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
“The residents in this area have done a very good job—an excellent job, actually—and when our deputies are going around trying to get people out for their safety, they have fully cooperated,” Luna said at a morning briefing.
More than 1,500 fire personnel were assigned to fight the Franklin Fire on Wednesday, helped by more than 100 sheriff’s deputies.
Fire crews were helped by 187 fire engines, 56 bulldozers, and 12 water tenders.
Responders were also getting help from more than a dozen water- and retardant-dropping aircraft, including Super Scoopers and eight Cal Fire S2-T tankers, which can drop about 1,200 gallons of retardant.
The National Weather Service’s red flag warning remained in effect until about 2 p.m. Wednesday as winds and low humidity remained a fire concern.
Thousands of local customers were also without electricity after Southern California Edison (SCE) shut off power during the windstorm to avoid downed lines sparking additional flames in the region.
As of 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, power remained off for 6,065 customers in the Santa Monica Mountain area and around Malibu, according to SCE spokeswoman Diane Castro.
The company spent Wednesday morning patrolling the circuits to check for fire damage when conditions were safe, Castro said.
“We are actively inspecting circuits in the area this morning and restoring power as soon as it is safe to do so,” Castro told The Epoch Times.
Several roads in the area remained closed, according to law enforcement. Tuna Canyon at Pacific Coast Highway, Kanan at Pacific Coast Highway, Saddle Peak at Tuna Canyon, Stunt Road at Mulholland Highway, Cold Canyon at Piuma Road, and Piuma Road at Malibu Canyon all the way to Pacific Coast Highway, were closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles.
Residents with proper identification were allowed to travel on Topanga Canyon Road to Pacific Coast Highway, and on Old Topanga Canyon Road at Mulholland Highway to Topanga Canyon.
Evacuation shelters were open at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District on Fourth Street in Santa Monica, and at the Calabasas Community Center on Malibu Hills Road.
Small animals were also being sheltered at the Agoura Animal Center in Agoura Hills, while larger animals were sheltered at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.
