Malibu fire: A 'very dangerous situation' as Franklin Fire prompts ...

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Aerial video captures Franklin Fire impacting thousands in Malibu

A raging wildfire is impacting thousands of homes and the campus of Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, according to fire officials.

A raging wildfire in Southern California has prompted evacuations and damaged homes in Malibu, the iconic, affluent, and mountainous beach community northwest of Los Angeles.

The fast-moving wildfire sprang up late Monday night had exploded in size by Tuesday morning, burning more than 2,000 acres and forcing firefighters to go door-to-door to evacuate parts of Malibu.

Malibu has become a hot-spot of celebrity real estate, with reports of Beyoncé and Charlie Sheen owning property in the area. It wasn't immediately clear whether any of their properties were threatened by the fire.

The Franklin Fire had burned 100 acres when firefighters were dispatched at 10:52 p.m. Monday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department told USA TODAY in an email. By Tuesday morning, it was at 2,600 acres as the blaze spread through the Santa Monica mountains to the Malibu coast with 0% containment, CalFire and local National Weather Service officials said.

Some homes have been destroyed in the fire, but officials do not have the exact number of damaged structures yet, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said Tuesday morning. There also were no reports of deaths or serious injuries, he said. One sheriff deputy's cruiser was damaged in the fire.

"Because of the great work of the firefighters that were on scene, we have only a minimal number of homes destroyed," Marrone said.

The fire was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity, creating red flag conditions in the region. A red flag warning will remain in effect through at least Wednesday and maybe longer as the powerful winds linger, Joe Sirard, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, told USA TODAY Tuesday.

"We’re still getting gusting and erratic winds as we're expecting more winds up to 50 mph overnight in the highest elevations of the fire area," Sirard said. "It's just a very dangerous situation. The crews are obviously doing their best to fight the fire, but it’s still hard to contain at this time."

Marrone said earlier Tuesday, "We remain under an immediate threat because of the red flag conditions."

The fire started near Pepperdine University in Malibu, KTLA-TV reported. It's threatening structures including the Malibu Pier, which is 2 miles away from the university, according to the City of Malibu.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to CalFire.

Wildfires: 'Volatile conditions' prompt red flag warnings across Southern California

Homes, other buildings threatened

Multiple areas in the City of Malibu are under mandatory evacuation, according to the city's website. Most of Malibu had its power shut off while firefighters worked to gain control of the fire, and all schools there were closed Tuesday. Mayor Pro Tem Marianne Riggins said City Hall was also in the mandatory evacuation zone.

Pepperdine University lifted its shelter-in-place status and said the campus was safe for residents, but said the school community was urged to remain on campus and leave Malibu roads clear for emergency personnel. Power was out for most of campus, the university said.

Firefighters and sheriff's deputies have gone door-to-door to evacuate residents, officials said. Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Tuesday news briefing that there are more than 8,000 structures within the affected zone. Of those, more than 2,000 are under mandatory evacuation orders and roughly another 6,000 were under evacuation warnings.

Homes in the Malibu area have been damaged by wildfires in the past, and celebrities have been among those impacted. In 2018, the massive Woolsey Fire made headlines for burning homes belonging to Miley Cyrus, Neil Young and Gerard Butler.

Franklin fire prompts evacuations near Pepperdine University

The Franklin fire started near Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Franklin Fire map

Red Flag Warnings

The fire was discovered after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning over the weekend for most of Ventura and Los Angeles counties because of critical fire conditions expected to occur from Monday to Wednesday, reported the Ventura County Star, a part of the USA TODAY Network.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Contributing: Ventura County Star

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com