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The Franklin Fire continues to scorch nearly 4,000 acres in the Malibu area. Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect as well as road and school closures.
See live updates below:
Officials still have not determined the cause of the Franklin Fire, which started Monday night in the Malibu Canyon tunnel area.
Fire investigators are going through an “intensive process” to pinpoint what cause the fire, the LA County Fire Department said Wednesday evening.
Officials said they will report the cause of the fire as soon as the investigation is complete.
Road closures around Malibu have to remain in place partly because of downed utility lines, Cpt. Jennifer Seetoo with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
What to Know?
- The Franklin Fire in Malibu has burned more than 4,000 acres.
- Several road closures are still in effect in the area along the Los Angeles County coast.
- Containment was at 7 percent.
- A team of 1,500 firefighters continues to battle the flames
- Schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are closed until Thursday
She said LA County officials said they are working with utility companies, which are “actively fixing the utility lines” around Malibu.
“Once everybody feels comfortable that the road can be opened, then that is something that we will do,” Seetoo said. “We continually assess it because it is one of our number one priorities is to get people back in and to repopulate this community.”
A Malibu homeowner who stayed behind to defend his home from the Franklin Fire said he’s lucky he was unharmed during the risky ordeal. Camilla Rambaldi reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
The Franklin Fire in Malibu did not expand much Wednesday evening as more firefighting resources were dispatched while winds subsided in the area.
The Franklin Fire burned 4,035 acres as of Wednesday night at 7% containment, according to Cal Fire, which assumed command Wednesday morning,
“WE saw the weather moderate, which allowed us to have a lot of success around the fire,” Dusty Martin from Cal Fire said during a news conference Wednesday evening. “For (Thursday,) we’re looking at the wind change with the possible change in direction that the fire has been going.”
NBC Los Angeles Meteorologist Melissa Magee said winds blowing in Malibu Canyon and the Pepperdine University area are expected to remain calm Thursday.
Fire officials said the Franklin Fire has so far scorched 4,035 acres while 7% of the fire has been contained so far.
While 6,300 people have been evacuated from their homes so far, a preliminary count shows that nine structures were destroyed in the fire while six others were damaged.
Fire officials are hoping the subsiding weather will help them contain the fire further tomorrow.
Mayor Pro Tem Marianne Riggins shared a message of support for the city of Malibu as the Franklin Fire burns over 4,000 acres.
“I just want to send my warmest thoughts for all our residents of Malibu. I know this has been a really challenging event that we’ve been going through,” said Riggins.
Red flag warnings have been canceled around the region as the winds have started letting up, and humidity is slowly starting to recover (but remains low this evening).
A weather system will move across California Thursday, bringing rain and snow to the north. For us, however, Southern California is just looking at passing clouds and a slight chance of light rain (a few hundredths of an inch) mainly to the mountains and parts of Ventura County. The system is also expected to bring 15 to 30 mph gusts to the Ventura County coastline and stronger wind gusts to the deserts and mountains.
A pair of weather systems will pass through the state over the weekend and early next week. The first arrives late Saturday but only provides passing clouds and a slight rain chance for the western portions of LA and Ventura Counties. The next system arrives late Monday or early Tuesday, but will be falling apart well before it gets to our region.
Winds are light and calm in Malibu Canyon and the Pepperdine University area, but the problem for the area impacted by the Franklin Fire is persisting low humidity, according to NBCLA Meteorologist Melissa Magee.
The humidity level in Malibu Hills and Malibu Canyon was recorded at 8% this afternoon.
