The eastern portion of Malibu remained under an evacuation order on Tuesday, while the rest of the city and parts of unincorporated Los Angeles County were under an evacuation warning. These warnings impacted an estimated 18,000 residents.
The fire, named the Franklin Fire, ignited shortly before 11 p.m. Monday along Malibu Canyon Road in the hills north of Pepperdine University. Driven by intense Santa Ana winds, the fire quickly spread, engulfing approximately 2,850 acres by Tuesday afternoon without any containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
During a news briefing Tuesday morning, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone reported that only a “minimal number” of homes had been destroyed, though he could not confirm the exact number of structures affected. He also asked residents to limit lawn sprinkler use to help preserve water pressure for firefighting efforts.
More than 800 firefighters worked tirelessly on the ground Tuesday, constructing containment lines while air tankers dropped water on the flames. Despite strong winds, firefighting aircraft were able to operate through the night and into early Tuesday morning, Marrone said.
“We will sustain a coordinated air and ground attack on this fire for as long as necessary,” he added.
