The Franklin fire continued to grow overnight, swelling to nearly 4,000 acres in Malibu as strong winds pushed the flames toward the west and down to the coast, authorities said Wednesday morning, Dec. 11.
The fire increased in size by 39%, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said, growing “significantly along the western edge of the fire and began backing down into Corral Canyon, threatening the Malibu RV Park community.”
A Cal Fire update adds: “Structure threats in the area were mitigated, though one outbuilding sustained damage.”
As of Wednesday morning, the 1,500-plus firefighters on the blaze had achieved 7% containment, Marrone said. Containment is the percentage of the fire’s perimeter that fire officials believe won’t expand, either because of natural barriers or firefighters’ work.
“Containment lines were improved by fire-retardant drops and construction of new hand lines to connect the gaps along the rugged eastern edge of the fire,” the chief said.
At least nine structures have been damaged and seven destroyed, including three or more homes, with assessment teams expected to have an updated count of losses by 5 p.m., authorities said.
No injuries or deaths have been reported. The fire’s cause remains under investigation.
Here’s what we know:
Acres burned: 3,983
Containment: 7%
Structures affected: Seven destroyed and nine damaged according to a preliminary count
Homes/People evacuated: 2,000 homes under evacuation orders, more than 6,000 under evacuation warnings. 12,600 people estimated under evacuation orders
Fire Personnel: More than 1,500
Cause of fire: Unknown
When it started: 10:50 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9
Officials planned to keep a close eye on weather conditions Wednesday. Officials anticipated another day of low humidity and strong winds.
“Today is the last day of (a) severe fire-weather warning, which is welcome news for all of us,” L.A. County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath said. “However, this emergency is far from over.”
Cal Fire will assume command of the fire at some point on Wednesday, Dec. 11, with the L.A. County Fire Department remaining engaged in battling the flames, Marrone said. More than 1,500 firefighters were working on the fire as of Wednesday morning.
The fire was first reported about 10:50 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, along Malibu Canyon Road near the tunnel.
“The entire fire area remains under threat as long as these red flag warning conditionsd exist,” Marrone said, referring to weather that helps wildfires quickly spread.
With the increase in acreage, the number of those affected by evacuations increased, with about 12,600 residents under evacuation orders and nearly 7,400 more under evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. The evacuations were affecting 7,560 structures in the area.
A list of areas under evacuation orders and warnings can be found by visiting lacounty.gov/emergency.
Evacuation shelters have been set up at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, 2828 Fourth St. in Santa Monica, and at the Calabasas Community Center, 27040 Malibu Hills Rd. in Calabasas. The Agoura Animal Center, at 29525 Agoura Rd. in Agoura Hills, was taking in small animals, while Pierce College, at 6201 Winnetka Ave. in Woodland Hills, was accepting large animals for shelter during the fire.
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Sheriff Luna thanked residents for cooperating with evacuation orders and said the department has had no reports of crime in evacuated areas.
“Priority continues to be the safety of our residents,” Luna said. “The residents in this area have done … an excellent job. … When our deputies are going around trying to get people out for their safety, they have fully cooperated and that makes our job easier.”