Malibu Franklin Fire: About 20% contained, some residents can return home soon as cause remains under investigation
Roughly 20,000 face evacuations in Malibu, including some celebrities, as fire continues to rage near Los Angeles
A fast-moving wildfire scorched more than 4,000 acres in Malibu, forcing 20,000 residents to flee as flames raced toward homes, horse farms and Pepperdine University.
The Franklin Fire, another late-year wildfire fanned by fierce Santa Ana winds, left a trail of destruction in its wake. Officials confirmed nine structures were destroyed and six had been damaged. Fire officials said it will take a “number of days” to put out the blaze, which was 20 percent contained early Thursday afternoon. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
The strongest winds in the area had passed and meteorologists said high fire dangers decreased, which aided efforts to contain the fire. Evacuations in Malibu displaced thousands of residents, including celebrities Dick Van Dyke and Cher.
Mayor Doug Stewart said earlier in the week that the fire had marked a “traumatic 20 hours” for the city.
More than 1,900 personnel continued to battle the blaze, with many roads closed and others under security patrols. Some areas would reopen to residents.
“To those who are still waiting, know that every efforts is being made to ensure your safety and your return as soon as possible,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
Malibu resident says fireproofing helped protect her home
Fireproofing steps helped to protect a Malibu resident’s home from the Franklin Fire.
Rosie Rains said she had recently trimmed her trees and cleared surrounding brush from her yard, according to KABC-TV.
She also put safer pre-burnt wood on her roof and built a firetruck turnaround in her yard.
“There are a lot of people up here that don’t do that,” she told the station. “You’re only as safe as what your neighbors are doing.”
Power outages in California continue to fall
Fewer than 50,000 California customers were without power on Wednesday, according to tracker PowerOutage.US.
That tally had exceeded 60,000 on Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chair assures progress is being made
Meta social media platforms are down as the fire continues to burn
All of Meta’s platforms – Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads – appear to have broken in a huge outage.
“Hi, we know there’s a technical issue impacting some people’s ability to access Instagram,” it wrote on the official Instagram page on X/Twitter. “We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and are sorry for any inconvenience.”
The Independent’s Andrew Griffin has the latest:
Photos show devastation of Malibu wildfire
Malibu’s Franklin Fire has now spread over more than 4,000 acres
Malibu’s Franklin Fire has now spread over more than 4,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
The 4,031-acre blaze is still 7 percent contained.
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