Written by Jorge Garcia
MALIBU, Calif. (Reuters) – A wildfire fanned by strong winds broke out on Tuesday just northwest of Los Angeles and forced some residents in Malibu to evacuate after threatening homes, knocking out power and closing roads in the beach area.
The wildfire, dubbed the Franklin Fire, grew overnight from five acres (2 hectares) to 2,713 acres (1,097 hectares) along steep, mountainous terrain, spreading southward up the Pacific Coast Highway into the picturesque port city of about 10,000. person.
The fire, which was zero percent contained, destroyed a small number of homes, but did not cause any injuries or deaths, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Tuesday.
“We will have a coordinated ground and air attack,” Maroun said, noting that 300 additional firefighters will join the 700 men already fighting the fire. “Because of the difficulties in this particular area, time is of the essence for us to control this fire.”
Maroun said the cause of the fire is still unknown.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 2,043 buildings were under evacuation orders, while 6,046 buildings were under evacuation warnings.
One of the evacuees was actor Dick Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, and said on Facebook (NASDAQ:) that he, his wife and animals had left the area, and that he hoped “our community at Serra Retreat will survive these terrible conditions.” “Fires.”
The burned-out homes caught fire on Tuesday when planes dropped water on the burning plants.
“I was coming back to check on their houses and I was actually thinking it wouldn't be a big deal,” Malibu resident Fred Roberts said. “But after I saw this and that burning, I realized this.” It's the real deal. And it hit hard here.
Roberts said the winds blowing into Malibu Canyon were “like a blowtorch.”
Governor Gavin Newsom said California received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to secure the resources needed to put out the fire.
Authorities went door to door throughout the night to alert thousands of residents and closed roads as the fire increased.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning, indicating an increased risk of fire in the area as Santa Ana winds on Tuesday could reach 65 miles (104 kilometers) per hour, a situation described as particularly dangerous.
The warning remains in effect until Wednesday, but the weather service expects winds to be lighter.
Pepperdine University in Malibu in the morning lifted its shelter-in-place protocol that forced students to evacuate to the school's shared spaces and the library overnight. She asked students to return to their on-campus dormitories and homes, stay on campus and stay off Malibu roads.
“Our campus, carefully designed and maintained with fire safety in mind, proved to be a safe place for our community during the wildfires that impacted the Malibu campus,” Pepperdine President Jim Gash said in a statement.
“Fortunately, there was little damage to campus structures and there were no reports of injuries to our students, faculty or staff.”
