A wildfire quickly grew amid windy, dry conditions in Malibu, California, threatening numerous structures and forcing residents to flee.
Named the Franklin Fire, it had burned more than 1 square mile near the campus of Pepperdine University by early Tuesday morning. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, but Santa Ana winds were to blame for extremely dangerous fire conditions across much of Southern California.
Fire crews first responded to the blaze at around 10:45 p.m. local time Monday night, according to KTLA-TV.
(MORE: ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ Santa Ana Wind Event In SoCal)
Classes were canceled on Tuesday at Pepperdine due to the fire, and a shelter-in-place order was underway. An evacuation order was in place for some homes east of Malibu Canyon Road, the Los Angeles County Fire Department announced.
North to northeast winds were expected to increase to 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph expected, The National Weather Service Los Angeles office posted on X.
Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for high fire risk with a rare “particularly dangerous situation,” or PDS, designation starting at 8 p.m. Monday into Tuesday for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.