Wind-Driven California Wildfire Prompts Evacuations as It Burns Near Malibu's Pepperdine University

Wildfires

By Associated Press

Published 7 months ago on

December 10, 2024

Fierce Santa Ana winds fuel a dangerous wildfire near Malibu, forcing evacuations and threatening homes and Pepperdine University. (AP/Eric Thayer)

Thousands evacuated as Franklin Fire burns nearly 3 square miles of brush and threatens structures near Malibu.
Pepperdine University cancels classes and issues shelter-in-place order as fire approaches campus.
Red flag warning with rare "particularly dangerous situation" designation issued for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

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MALIBU — Thousands of Southern California residents were under evacuation orders Tuesday as firefighters battled a wind-driven wildfire in Malibu that burned near seaside mansions and Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library watched as the blaze intensified and the sky turned deep red.

“Just seeing the flames grow and seeing that bright red color of fire just get brighter and brighter and brighter — it was so scary,” student Gabrielle Salgado told ABC 7. The university later said the worst of the fire had pushed past campus.

Franklin Fire Threatens Structures

It was not immediately known how the blaze, named the Franklin Fire, started but Los Angeles County Fire Department officials estimated that nearly 3 square miles (7.7 square kilometers) of trees and dry brush had burned and structures were threatened.

The fire burned amid dangerous fire conditions because of notorious Santa Ana winds expected to last into Wednesday. The evacuation order encompassed about 6,000 people and more than 2,000 structures, ABC 7 reported, attributing that information to fire officials.

A damage estimate was not available, but “it’s certain some number of homes are definitely going to be badly damaged,” Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city of Malibu, told the news station.

Fire Jumps Pacific Coast Highway

He said the fire moved south, jumping over the famous Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean, where large homes line the beach. At one point, it had threatened the historic Malibu Pier, but the structure was protected and is intact, Myerhoff said.

Pepperdine canceled classes and finals for the day and there was a shelter-in-place order on campus. Helicopters dropped water collected from lakes in the school’s Alumni Park onto the flames.

“The university understands the worst of the fire has pushed past Pepperdine. However, there are smaller spot fires on campus that are not threatening life or structures, and fire resources remain on campus to address these spot fires as they occur,” Pepperdine posted in a statement online.

Santa Ana Winds Fuel Fire Danger

North to northeast winds were forecast to increase to 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) with gusts up to 65 mph (105 kph) expected, the National Weather Service’s office for Los Angeles posted on X.

Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of the Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore. They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring.

The weather service issued a red flag warning for high fire risk with a rare “particularly dangerous situation,” or PDS, designation starting at 8 p.m. Monday into Tuesday for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.