Franklin Fire in Malibu erupts near Pepperdine University as ...

The Franklin Fire in Malibu exploded overnight, burning more than 2,200 acres and forcing evacuations, but fire officials said Tuesday morning a minimal number of homes have been destroyed, thanks to "the great work of firefighters on the scene."

The massive fire was first reported a little after 10:45 p.m. Monday near S. Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary just south of the Piuma area, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 

During a Tuesday morning news conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said there are approximately 18,000 people and 8,100 structures in the affected area. Of the 8,100 structures, 2,043 are under evacuation orders and 6,046 are under evacuation warnings.  

Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said a 5-acre fire that began at Malibu Canyon Road and the tunnel at Pacific Coast Highway and was quickly spread by the Santa Ana winds. 

The flames crept over the top of the hill, rapidly spreading towards Pepperdine University. By 3 a.m. the Franklin Fire spread south across Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu Road, near Webb Way. It moved toward the Malibu Pier area and threatened some nearby structures along Malibu Knolls Road and the Sweetwater Mesa area.

Matt Myerhoff, the city of Malibu information officer, said early Tuesday morning that the pier is safe, but that structures are impacted. "I think the preponderance of structures being impacted around here are going to be homes," he said.

"We don't have information yet if they are damaged or if they are destroyed, that's too soon to say ... we just know fire crews are battling those."

Chief Marrone said Tuesday that there are no reports of serious injuries or fatalities, but he warned the fire is not contained. "We remain under immediate threat because of the Red Flag conditions," he said. "We would like to get some containment by this afternoon."         

Tuesday morning, Governor Gavin Newsom said the state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA, to ensure resources are available to help fight the blaze.

Arson investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

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Evacuations

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies were working to evacuate residents living in zone MAL-C112, which includes the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and South of Piuma Road as well as the Serra Retreat. More information on evacuations is available on the Malibu city website. 

"The way evacuations are conducted by the Sheriff's department is they go door to door. They drive up and down the streets with a blowhorn and they knock on every single door. They wake people up and get them out of their houses," Myerhoff said.      

He said using lessons learned from the 2018 Woolsey Fire, first responders are communicating by way of LA-RICS radios that the city purchased, as power outages affect cell phone service and all other forms of communication.

"We are safe. All retreats evacuated safely," the Serra Retreat said. "Looks like the fire is on the retreat center property but there are several fire trucks there. Hopefully, they can contain it. "  

A resident named Linda said her boss' house was destroyed while she was trying to evacuate horses.

"It's happening so quickly," she said. "I'm worried about two horses that I left in there. I know the house is gone. I went back in there to find the two horses but it was too dangerous."

Below is a real-time map outlining evacuation orders and warnings.

A temporary evacuation center was opened as the Palisades Recreation Center, located at 851 Alma Real Drive. Large animals could be taken to Pierce College in Winnetka. 

Malibu roads impacted

• Malibu Canyon Road remains closed from Mulholland Drive to PCH 
• PCH is closed from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to Kanan Dume Road
• PCH westbound from John Tyler is open, but any vehicle that leaves the Pepperdine campus in that direction will not be able to return as PCH is closed eastbound
• Topanga Canyon Boulevard is closed to all but local traffic

"Stay away from the Malibu area, if you can, at all costs," Deputy Tracy Koerner said. "Avoid coming into Malibu. A lot of people commute through Malibu from Ventura and Santa Monica, those people need to stay on the 101 Freeway today."

Fire approaches Pepperdine University 

Pepperdine school officials released a statement to note that they were closely monitoring the fire. 

"The fire is not currently affecting any University campus," the statement said. "The Malibu Campus and local area may experience some power outages related to this incident."

However, at 1:10 a.m. the fire continued to crawl closer and closer to the university, forcing the administration to issue a shelter-in-place order. 

"All community members on the Malibu campus are directed to shelter in place in the Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library," the administration posted on X. "Despite any evacuation orders from Malibu city or surrounding areas, the University community should follow University instructions."

The administration stated that their "protocol is approved by LA County Fire and executed with their cooperation."

Pepperdine canceled all classes and finals for Tuesday following the fire. 

"Normal operations on the Malibu Campus are suspended for Tuesday. This includes canceling classes and finals for the day," the university tweeted. 

The worst of the fire pushed past Pepperdine by 3:30 a.m., but some smaller blazes continued to burn around the campus. The hotspots did not threaten structures or lives, according to the administration. 

"Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight," the university posted on X. "The EOC will continue to update the community."

The school lifted the shelter in place order around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. "After assessing campus conditions at daybreak, the EOC is lifting the shelter-in-place protocol. Campus conditions are safe for members of the community to return to student residences and on-campus homes," the university wrote. 

Power remained out for much of the campus, and students were advised to not use elevators. 

Malibu school closures

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced that all Malibu schools are closed Tuesday, Dec. 10 until further notice. 

"Authorities are urging residents and visitors to stay clear of the area, as the fire continues to pose a significant threat," Superintendent, Dr. Antonio Shelton wrote in a community announcement. 

"At this time, many Webster families are under evacuation orders, and several families in other Malibu neighborhoods  are under evacuation watch due to the Franklin Fire. Our district's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is closely monitoring the situation, and we are prepared to respond as conditions evolve."

The Los Angeles Unified School District, with schools in the neighboring Topanga and Pacific Palisades area, said schools are open and they are "closely monitoring the Franklin Fire and its potential impact on our communities."

Red flag warning 

Weather officials raised concerns over fire danger that would impact most of Southern California. Unusually low humidity paired with a powerful Santa Ana winds movement created dangerous conditions, which led them to issue a "particularly dangerous situation red flag warning" beginning Monday night.

In response, SoCal Edison warned tens of thousands of residents living throughout Los Angeles County that their service may be shut off if the winds intensify. 

Tuesday morning, winds in Malibu were gusting 40 mph, with peak winds expected from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday. KCAL News meteorologist Paul Deanno said while the strongest winds are expected around 7 a.m., the fire danger remains high even after the worst of the winds have passed because of low humidity.

Conditions are similar to the weather when the Mountain Fire erupted in Ventura County in early November. That blaze torched nearly 20,000 acres and destroyed more than 200 structures. 

This is a developing story. Check back for details. 

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