Overnight, the Franklin Fire in Malibu changed course and was still burning on Wednesday. It now spans 4,031 acres and is 7% contained. Evacuation orders remain in effect for thousands of families.

According to Anthony Marrone, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire grew by 39% overnight, with the western edge seeing the most increase. This was stated during a news conference on Wednesday morning. He noted that the Malibu RV Park community was in danger as flames started to retreat into Corral Canyon. “Structure threats were mitigated, and additional structures were damaged,” he stated.

The Franklin Fire damaged six buildings and destroyed nine in total. Strong winds and low humidity on Wednesday “will be closely monitored today as they will play a critical role in fire behavior,” according to Morrone.

The state received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to ensure resources are available to help combat the fire, Governor Gavin Newsom stated Tuesday.

Evacuations and Emergency Updates

There are around 19,982 individuals and 7,560 buildings in the impacted region, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Wednesday. There are about 12,600 individuals under evacuation orders, affecting 7,560 buildings. There are around 7,382 persons under evacuation advisories.

Areas west of Big Rock, east of Corral Canyon, and south of Piuma Road are under evacuation orders. Areas east of Trancas, west of Crestline, north of Pacific Coast Highway, and south of Mulholland Highway are all under evacuation alerts.

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Shelters for Animals and Displaced People

• Agoura Animal Care Center: 29525 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (for small animals)
• Calabasas Community Center: 27040 Malibu Hills Rd., Calabasas, CA 91301
• Palisades Recreation Center: 851 Alma Real Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
• Pierce College: 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (for large animals)
• Santa Monica Unified School District: 2828 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90405 (pet crates welcome)

To provide information, food, water, and first aid to affected people, Malibu municipal officials set up an emergency station at Zuma Beach.

Impact on Malibu and Surrounding Areas

By 3:00 a.m., the Franklin Fire had moved south along the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu Road, near Webb Way. It advanced towards the Malibu Pier neighbourhood and posed a threat to several buildings on Malibu Knolls Road and in the Sweetwater Mesa neighbourhood.

Officials at Pepperdine University said in a statement early on Tuesday that there may be some power interruptions but that the fire was not harming the school. The administration issued a shelter-in-place order at 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday as the fire continued to creep closer to the campus.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District declared that until December 12, all Malibu schools will remain closed. Malibu Middle, Malibu High, Webster Elementary, and Malibu Elementary are among the schools impacted.

Public safety power shutoffs left 9,269 customers in Los Angeles County without power, according to Southern California Edison. An additional 6,910 consumers were being considered for shutdowns.

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