Franklin Fire explodes in Malibu, prompting shelter-in-place protocols at Pepperdine and evacuations
The Franklin Fire in Malibu Canyon exploded to nearly 2,000 acres overnight as much of Southern California was under red flag warnings and high risk of dangerous fire spread, prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place protocols at Pepperdine University.
The Franklin Fire in Malibu Canyon exploded to nearly 2,000 acres overnight as much of Southern California was under red flag warnings and high risk of dangerous fire spread, prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place protocols at Pepperdine University.
The brush fire broke out around 11 p.m. local time Monday evening (2 a.m. ET Tuesday) in the area of Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
As of 3:47 a.m. local time (6:47 a.m. ET), it had spread to 1,822 acres with 0% containment, moving across the Pacific Coast Highway and impacting structures.
The blaze comes as 12 million are under red flag warnings in Southern California from San Luis Obispo down to San Diego due to Santa Ana winds, low humidity and dry vegetation, making conditions ripe for especially dangerous wildfire growth. Wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph are possible along with the risk of downed trees and power outages.
Malibu, a beach city home to celebrities in the Santa Monica Mountains, was one of several areas under a rare “particularly dangerous situation,” or PDS, red flag warning that was in effect from 8 p.m. Monday night local time through 2 p.m. Tuesday “due to damaging Santa Ana winds and very low humidities,” according to the National Weather Service Office of Los Angeles.
Rating: 5