Wildfire Roars Into Wealthy Malibu, Forcing Evacuations
Flames threatened City Hall, the iconic Malibu Pier and Pepperdine University, where palm trees burned and smoke crept into the campus library. Nearly 2,700 acres have burned.
By Jesus Jiménez, Corina Knoll and Isabelle Taft, New York Times
Firefighters battled high winds and scorching flames across the hillsides of Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday, as a fast-moving blaze forced thousands of people to evacuate from one of the world’s priciest coastlines. The fire burned homes, closed a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway and scorched palm trees on the campus of Pepperdine University.
The Franklin fire, as it is known, has burned nearly 2,700 acres in just over 12 hours since it started late Monday, according to California fire officials. Residents in central and eastern Malibu, a city of more than 10,000 people, were under evacuation orders or warnings. Smoke from the fire streamed into Los Angeles, prompting air quality concerns.
Here’s what else to know:
- Firefighting efforts: The fire remained zero percent contained by noon, meaning that firefighters had not established any control lines around the blaze. Chief Anthony C. Marrone of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said that heavy winds could challenge the more than 700 firefighters working to contain the fire.
- Dangerous forecast: Much of Southern California is expected remain at high risk for wildfires through Tuesday afternoon, said Matt Shameson, a fire meteorologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Even as the winds ease overnight, the risk of wildfires will remain high on Wednesday because of low humidity. Southern California Edison cut off power for more than 46,000 of the utility’s customers because of the wildfire risk.
- On-the-ground impacts: Officials said some homes had burned, but they did not yet have an estimate on the number of damaged structures. Sheriff Robert G. Luna of Los Angeles County said that about 18,000 people were in the mandatory or voluntary evacuation zones. No injuries were reported at Pepperdine, where students spent a harrowing night sheltered in the campus library.
- Fire’s origins: The blaze broke out in an area notorious for fast-spreading wildfires, where the dangerous Santa Ana winds meet the scrub-filled canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. The region is parched; most parts of Los Angeles County have received less than a quarter of an inch of rain since Oct. 1.
Dec. 10, 2024, 3:31 p.m. ET3 minutes ago
By Matt Stevens and Derrick Bryson Taylor, New York Times
Dick Van Dyke and Cher were evacuated from their Malibu homes.
Malibu, Calif., has long occupied a particular place in the American imagination, a sun-soaked paradise of coastal bluffs and crashing waves. It is also home to the rich and famous: Dick Van Dyke, Cher and Barbra Streisand are among the many stars who live there.
On Tuesday, Mr. Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, said on Facebook that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, had left their home as the Franklin fire continued to envelop his community.
“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” he said, referring to one of their cats. “We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
Liz Rosenberg, Cher’s publicist, said in a brief phone interview that the singer evacuated to a hotel on Monday night along with her pets. She provided no other details.
A spokesman for Ms. Streisand said he was waiting to learn about her whereabouts.
Officials at the Getty Villa, a branch of the Getty Center that houses Greek and Roman antiquities in a stunning coastal setting just east of Malibu, could not immediately be reached to say whether the museum’s operations or collection had been affected.
Living on the coast has become more challenging in recent years. After heavy rains, mudslides have repeatedly forced the closure of Pacific Coast Highway, a key artery in and out of Malibu. Six years ago, the Woolsey Fire killed three people and destroyed hundreds of homes. And rising sea levels pose an increasingly urgent threat to the many multimillion-dollar homes that overlook the ocean.Show more
Charis Kai, a freshman, was among the students who spent the night in a campus library at Pepperdine University as the fire roared past. “There was a lot of anxiety going on, because everyone was shouting things like, ‘It’s coming closer, we’re going to die,’” Kai said. She and her friends eventually decided to stop looking out of the window at the roaring flames.
Dec. 10, 2024, 2:33 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Amy Graff Reporting on weather
Strong winds are expected to continue around the L.A. area for the next few hours, and a large portion of Southern California will remain at high risk for wildfires through Tuesday afternoon, said Matt Shameson, a fire meteorologist with the U.S. Forest Service.
Dec. 10, 2024, 2:35 p.m. ET59 minutes ago
Amy Graff Reporting on weather
Though the winds are predicted to gradually decrease into the evening and overnight, the wildfire risk will remain high through Wednesday because of low humidity.
Dec. 10, 2024, 2:32 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Jesus Jimenez California news reporter
The Franklin fire has grown slightly since earlier Tuesday morning, and has now consumed 2,593 areas, according to Cal Fire. It remains zero percent contained, meaning firefighters have not established control lines.
Dec. 10, 2024, 2:22 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Jesus Jimenez California news reporter
The California Highway Patrol closed a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway from Dume Road to Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Only emergency workers will be allowed to drive through the closed area, officials said.
Dec. 10, 2024, 2:20 p.m. ET1 hour ago
California news reporter
Malibu officials are currently working from a temporary site in the city of Calabasas, about 12 miles to the northeast, after Malibu’s City Hall was evacuated about 1 a.m. as brush was burning around the building. Calabasas is not in an evacuation zone.
Dec. 10, 2024, 1:57 p.m. ET2 hours ago
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, a European Union scientific agency, found that North America experienced particularly intense wildfires this year, especially in the western United States. California recorded the highest carbon emissions across the country in July, it said.
Dec. 10, 2024, 1:57 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Hundreds of wildfires sparked across California beginning over the the July 4 weekend, fueled by high nighttime temperatures that are increasing under climate change. By the end of the month, extreme heat caused the Park Fire to grow rapidly into the fifth-largest fire in state history.
Dec. 10, 2024, 1:53 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Mimi Dwyer Reporting from Malibu, Calif.
At the Pierce College Equestrian Center in Woodland Hills, Calif, volunteers were preparing stalls for evacuated large animals. A volunteer, Eric Cohen, 59, said that about 10 horses had been brought in so far. The facility has capacity for about 200 horses in individual stalls, and space for another 200 as overflow, he said.
Dec. 10, 2024, 1:37 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Jesus Jimenez California news reporter
City officials encouraged residents to tune into local radio for updates on the fire because cell phone service has been spotty in the area.
Dec. 10, 2024, 1:28 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Corina Knoll, Reporting from Los Angeles
Jessica Jones, 37, and her boyfriend, Matthew Ryder, woke to a neighbor pounding on their door late Monday night. They saw flames on a neaby ridge. After grabbing their pot-bellied pig and three goats, along with their passports and laptops, they fled and spent the night in their truck.
Dec. 10, 2024, 1:15 p.m. ET2 hours ago
At Pepperdine, students huddled in a library as the fire raged
As flames roared and smoke billowed around their campus, the students gathered in the library at Pepperdine University prayed for safety. They donned masks as acrid smoke filtered into the building. They watched anxiously through the windows as the flames drew closer and even consumed some of the palm trees that dot the scenic Malibu campus.
“We saw the flames jump over the Malibu Canyon,” said Gabrielle Salgado, a senior journalism major who was among the 3,000 people who sheltered in place as the Franklin fire pushed past the campus on Monday night.
By early Tuesday morning, the university had lifted the shelter-in-place protocol and was encouraging students to return to on-campus residences. Michael Friel, a university spokesman, said there had been no injuries and little to no damage to structures, though spot fires had burned on campus.
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