The Franklin Fire in Los Angeles, Calif., which started late Monday night continues to burn and has reached 3,983 acres covering much of Malibu and Pepperdine University, prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place orders.
A firefighter pulls a water hose as the Franklin Fire burns near a building on December 10, 2024 in ... [+]
The fire, first reported at 10:50pm Monday, grew by 39% in size overnight, said Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony Marrone at a press conference Wednesday morning.
About 12,600 people are under evacuation orders that say the fire is an immediate threat to life and about 7,382 people are under evacuation warnings of potential threat, Los Angeles County sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday.
The fire shifted direction overnight and spread rapidly towards Pepperdine University, which ordered students and staff to shelter in place, but said early Wednesday morning the fire had “burned through most of the fuel immediately surrounding campus” and was a reduced threat.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire is 7% contained.
The Malibu Coast and Ventura Coastal Plain, particularly in the foothill areas, are under a Red Flag Warning until 2p.m. today, according to the Cal Fire. A Santa Ana wind event is expected to bring “critical to extremely critical” fire weather conditions across much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday due to low humidity levels, the agency said.
At least seven structures were reported to be destroyed and nine were damaged Wednesday morning, ABC7 reported. There has been “little damage to campus structures” and “no reports of injuries” among students, faculty and staff, Pepperdine University said in a statement Tuesday.
The important structures that could be impacted “are going to be homes,” Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city of Malibu, told CBS News Tuesday.