An intense wildfire burning just northwest of Los Angeles forced thousands of residents in Malibu to evacuate on Tuesday as it threatened homes, knocked out power and closed roads.
The brush fire blaze, called the Franklin Fire, grew overnight from five acres to nearly 2,700 acres along the steep mountainous terrain, spreading south over the Pacific Coast Highway in the picturesque coastal city of about 10,000 people.
The fire, which is zero percent contained, has destroyed a small number of homes, but has not caused any injuries or deaths, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told a press conference.
"We are going to have a coordinated ground and air assault," he said, noting that 300 additional firefighters will join the 700 already battling the blaze.
"Because of the difficulties in this particular area, time is of the essence for us to grab a hold of this fire."
The fire's cause remains unknown, Marrone said.
Burned homes smoldered on Tuesday as aircraft dropped water on areas caught in the blaze.
“I was going back to check on their homes and I was actually thinking that it was going to be no big deal," said Malibu resident Fred Roberts.
"But after I've seen this one and that one there burnt. I know this is the real deal. And it did hit here hard.”
Authorities went door to door overnight to alert thousands of residents and closed roads as the fire grew.
The US National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning, signaling an increased risk of fire danger for the area as Santa Ana wind gusts on Tuesday could reach 65 miles an hour, a situation described as particularly hazardous.
The warning remains in effect through Wednesday, but the NWS expects the 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 commons and library overnight.
It told students to return to their residences and on-campus homes and to remain on campus and stay off Malibu roads.
"Our campus, thoughtfully designed and maintained with fire safety in mind, has proven to be a secure place for our community during wildfires affecting the Malibu campus," Pepperdine President Jim Gash said in a statement.
"Thankfully, there has been little damage to campus structures and no reports of injuries among our students, faculty, or staff."
