The Franklin Fire, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, continued to rage in Malibu on Tuesday morning, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the blaze. Initially reported near Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary around 10:45 p.m. Monday, the fire quickly spread and as of midday Tuesday, had burned through 2,851 acres. There was still no containment, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
At a Tuesday morning press conference, officials revealed that the fire had affected around 18,000 people and threatened over 8,100 structures. While an exact count of damaged or destroyed homes was not available, L.A. County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed that a “minimal number” of homes had been lost. The city of Malibu expressed its sympathy in a statement, acknowledging that while some homes were damaged or destroyed, they were still working to gather accurate information.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for several neighborhoods, including areas east of Malibu Canyon Road, south of Piuma Road, and the Serra Retreat area. Further evacuations were ordered for Tuna Canyon to Puerco Canyon, while an evacuation warning was placed for Puerco Canyon to Trancas Canyon. Of the 8,100 structures in danger, 2,043 were under mandatory evacuation, and 6,046 were under evacuation warnings.
In terms of structural damage, preliminary reports indicate that at least seven structures were destroyed, with another eight damaged. Fire crews were planning additional damage assessments in the coming days to better understand the full impact.
Pepperdine University, located in Malibu, placed students and staff under a shelter-in-place order overnight to ensure their safety, as the fire approached the campus. This order was lifted at 9 a.m. Tuesday, and while the university canceled classes and finals for the day, the shelter-in-place policy remained in effect until then. Additionally, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District closed all Malibu schools on Tuesday due to the fire and related concerns, including power outages.
The fire’s impact has also resulted in major traffic disruptions, with Pacific Coast Highway shut down between Kanan Dume Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and additional closures affecting Las Virgenes and Mulholland Highway. A soft closure has been imposed on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, allowing only residents to pass.
For those affected by the fire, temporary evacuation centers have been set up at the Santa Monica Unified School District Facility and the Calabasas Community Center. Animal shelters are also open to accommodate displaced pets, with small animals being taken to the Agoura Animal Care Center and larger animals to Pierce College.
The community remains on edge as firefighters continue to battle the flames, and authorities work to assess the full extent of the damage. The situation remains fluid, and more updates are expected as the response continues.
