Franklin Fire forces urgent evacuations near Malibu Canyon Road, Los Angeles, California
A rapidly spreading Franklin Fire broke out on Monday night (LT), December 9, 2024, near Malibu Canyon Road, California amid a Red Flag Warning and severe Santa Ana winds, placing nearby residents on urgent mandatory evacuation.
- The Franklin Fire broke out near Malibu Canyon Road on Monday night and quickly spread to cover over 40 ha (100 acres), prompting mandatory evacuations and road closures. The fire is designated as a Third Alarm incident.
- The fire is fueled by Santa Ana winds with gusts reaching up to 130 km/h (80 mph) and critically low humidity levels of 9 – 13%. A Red Flag Warning was issued for the region, warning of life-threatening fire behavior.
- Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for areas east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road. Firefighters are deploying ground and air resources to contain the blaze, while residents are urged to exercise caution amidst warnings of potential power outages and tree damage caused by high winds.
A large brush fire broke out near Malibu Canyon Road, 5 km (3 miles) north of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The blaze, named the Franklin Fire, was first reported at approximately 22:45 local time (LT) on Monday near South Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary, just south of the Piuma area.
By 23:50 LT on Monday, the fire had already spread to approximately 40 ha (100 acres), according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for areas east of Malibu Canyon Road, south of Piuma Road, and the Serra Retreat area.
The blaze has been designated a Third Alarm incident by the fire department. It is spreading rapidly across the region, with several ground and air units deployed to suppress it. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Malibu Canyon, from Mulholland Drive to the Pacific Coast Highway, was closed by the California Highway Patrol as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
Pepperdine University officials released a statement confirming they were closely monitoring the fire.
“The fire is not currently affecting any university campus,” the statement noted. “However, the Malibu Campus and surrounding area may experience power outages related to this incident.”
Winds were expected to reach 50 – 65 km/h (30 – 40 mph) during the incident, with gusts of up to 105 km/h (65 mph), accompanied by humidity levels of 9 – 13% through Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
Dangerous fire weather conditions were anticipated over the past couple of days, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue multiple warnings and caution residents about life-threatening fire behavior.
A Red Flag Warning was issued for the Santa Ana Wind Corridor in Ventura County and Los Angeles from Monday through Wednesday, December 11. The NWS warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” due to extreme and life-threatening fire behavior between 20:00 LT on Monday and 14:00 LT on Tuesday.
The event was forecasted to be as severe as the Santa Ana event of November 5 – 6, which triggered the Mountain Fire. The NWS urged residents to exercise extreme caution, as strong winds of 80 – 130 km/h (50 – 80 mph) were expected, potentially downing trees and causing power outages.
As of 22:30 LT on Monday, the strongest Santa Ana wind gusts were reported as follows: 129 km/h (80 mph) at Magic Mountain Trail, 111 km/h (69 mph) at Boney Mountain, and 104 km/h (65 mph) at Palo Sola Truck Road.
References:
1 Brush fire off of Malibu Cyn Rd 3 miles north of PCH in Malibu. Mandatory evacuations for Serra Retreat, Zone MAL-C112. – Malibu City.org – December 9, 2024
2 Evacuations ordered as large brush fire breaks out in Malibu in the midst of red flag warnings – CBS -December 9, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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