Firefighters Find 'Success' Battling Franklin Fire As Winds Die Down

MALIBU, CA — Firefighters on Wednesday found success in their battle against the Franklin Fire, which grew to 4,037 acres with 7% containment, amid an early end to the critical fire conditions caused by the Santa Ana winds that had been unrelentingly fanning the fire since it broke out Monday night.

"Today we saw the weather moderate, which allowed us to have a lot of success around the fire," the Cal Fire incident commander Dusty Martin said at a Wednesday evening news conference.

There were 1,947 firefighters assigned to the blaze, an increase of about 400 since the morning, and fire officials said they're focused on getting the 6,300 people who have been evacuated back in to their homes.

"Getting the citizens back into their homes is our No. 1 priority," Martin said. "But to do that we need to make sure the area is safe."

Specialized teams deployed over the last day have counted nine destroyed structures and six damaged ones as of Wednesday night — a number that's held steady since the morning. But Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Albert Yanagisawa said only 25% of the impacted area has been inspected in detail.

The biggest firefighting challenge Wednesday was centered near the west side of the fire, around Malibu Canyon. "It's extremely steep and unaccessible terrain that the fire is in," he said.
Crews were able to work on creating a fire line in that area Wednesday, he said.

The fire grew by about 50 acres throughout Wednesday, for a total size of about 6.3 square miles, while containment held steady at 7%. That's a stark contrast to the fire's initial explosive growth.

It broke out before 11 p.m. Monday as a 5-acre brush fire in Malibu Canyon, north of Malibu Crest Road and south of Francisco Ranch Road, near Pepperdine University and the Malibu Civic Center, according to sheriff's officials. By the next morning, the fire exploded to more than 2,200 acres and within 12 hours grew to 3,049 acres, according to Cal Fire.

The strongest Santa Ana winds, with guests that exceeded 40 mph, had passed by Tuesday afternoon. Windy conditions continued over the next day, though firefighters were able to get a handle on the fire and reach 7% containment overnight into Wednesday morning.

Things were looking even better by the afternoon, when the National Weather Service canceled Red Flag warnings for the area. The warnings had originally been in effect until 6 p.m. at the latest.
SEE ALSO: Malibu Fire Map: See Franklin Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas

"While very dry air and elevated fire weather conditions will persist into Wednesday evening, the threat of critical fire weather conditions have ended," the NWS said.

It's a moment firefighters had been eagerly waiting for.

"The entire fire area remains under threat as long as the current Red Flag conditions persist," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a news conference Tuesday night.

Despite evacuation orders and warnings, many residents stayed behind Tuesday night, using buckets of water to douse spot fires near homes and schools. Much of the city remained without electricity or internet Wednesday.

The fire impacted Serra Retreat, the luxury enclave that is home to stars including Dick Van Dyke and Patrick Dempsey, the Los Angeles Times reported. It spread so quickly, many residents lost vehicles and pets to the flames Monday night.

SEE ALSO: 15 Surreal Photos Show The Franklin Fire Burning In Malibu

Van Dyke, 98, was among the residents who lost a pet amid the frantic evacuation. In a Facebook post, he said he and his wife, Arlene Silver, had evacuated as the fire swept in. The actor turns 99 on Friday. “Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” said Van Dyke, referring to one of their cats. “We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”

As the fire continues to burn, Malibu residents surveyed damage to structures. Among those damaged was Webster Elementary school, which suffered "significant damage" to its electrical grid, school officials said.

All public schools in Malibu will be closed Thursday.

Orders, Warnings And Closures as of Wednesday Night

Evacuation orders are in place for areas east of Latigo Canyon, west of Topanga Beach Driveway, and south of Baller Motorway, including the Big Rock and Las Flores Communities. They include:

• South of Piuma Road, north of the Pacific Ocean coastline, east of Puerco Canyon Road/Corral Canyon Park, west of Los Flores Canyon Road
• Between the Pacific Ocean coastline and Tuna Canyon Park to the west of Tuna Canyon Road

Evacuation warnings are in place for areas east of Trancas, south of Hidden Highlands Road, and west of Crestline Drive. Residents in these areas should remain ready to evacuate if conditions worsen, officials said.

Hard Road Closures:

• Pacific Coast Highway between Corral Canyon Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard
• Malibu Canyon Road between Lost Hills and PCH
• Mulholland Highway between Las Virgenes Road and Stunt Road
• Cold Canyon between Mulholland Highway and Piuma Road
• Tuna Canyon Between PCH and Saddle Peak

Soft Road Closure (residents only):

• PCH between Kanan Dume Road and Corral Canyon

An earlier closure of Topanga Canyon Boulevard was lifted Wednesday. The road has fully reopened.

Shelters include:

• Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, 2802 4th Street, Santa Monica (crated small animals accepted)
• Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills (for small animals)
• Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave, Woodland Hills (for large animals)

City News Service, the Associated Press and Paige Austin contributed to this story.