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Fire in Franklin prompts evacuations near Pepperdine University
The Franklin Fire started near Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
A wildfire in Southern California has destroyed homes and prompted evacuations in Malibu, the iconic, affluent and mountainous beach community northwest of Los Angeles.
The wildfire that started 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.
The Franklin Fire had burned 250 acres when firefighters were dispatched Monday at 10:52 p.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department told USA TODAY in an email. On Tuesday morning, the area was 2,200 hectares and there was 0% containment CalFire.
Some homes have been destroyed by the fire, but officials did not yet have a count of damaged buildings, Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said during a news briefing Tuesday morning. There have been no reports of serious injuries or fatalities, he said. A sheriff’s deputy’s cruiser was damaged in the fire.
The fire was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity, raising a red flag in the region.
“We remain under imminent threat due to the red flag conditions,” Marrone said.
The fire, located on South Malibu Canyon Road, started near Pepperdine University in Malibu, a local outlet KTL 5 reported. It threatens structures including the Malibu Pier, which is 2 miles (3.2 km) from the university City of Malibu.
Several areas in the city of Malibu are under mandatory evacuations, according to the city’s website. Power was off in most of Malibu as firefighters worked to get the fire under control. All schools there were closed on Tuesday. Mayor Pro Tem Marianne Riggins said City Hall was also in the mandatory evacuation zone.
Pepperdine University lifted its shelter-in-place status, saying the campus was safe for residents, but said the school community was urged to remain on campus and keep roads in Malibu open for emergency responders. Power was out on most of the campus, the university said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, police said CalFire.
The LA County Fire Department and LA County Sheriffs are conducting door-to-door evacuations.
Sheriff Robert Luna said during a news briefing Tuesday that there are more than 8,000 buildings in the affected zone. Of those, more than 2,000 have been issued mandatory evacuation orders and about 6,000 more have been issued evacuation warnings.
“Follow evacuation instructions from police and fire departments,” the city said in a statement emergency warning.
The fire was discovered after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for most of Ventura and Los Angeles counties over the weekend due to critical fire conditions expected to occur Monday through Wednesday, the reported Ventura County star, part of the USA TODAY network.
The warning applies from Monday 10 a.m. to Wednesday 6 p.m.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributions: Ventura County Star
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can contact her at LinkedInfollow her further X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram And TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
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