Malibu School Damaged In Franklin Fire; School Canceled For Next 2 Days

MALIBU, CA — Malibu public schools will be closed Wednesday and Thursday as the Franklin Fire continues to burn in Malibu with zero containment. Meantime, officials revealed one school was damaged in the fire.

"All Malibu schools will be closed Wednesday, Dec 11 and Thursday, Dec. 12 due to the Franklin fire and power outages. Authorities are urging residents and visitors to stay clear of the area, as the Franklin fire continues to pose a significant threat. Evacuations remain in effect and there are road closures," Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Antonio Shelton wrote in an email to the school community.

Webster Elementary School suffered "significant damage" to its electrical grid, along with "minor" exterior building damage and smoke damage, school officials said.

"It’s heartbreaking to see damage to our beloved school but appreciate the efforts of our firefighters to limit the damage. We will have more information regarding Webster in the next few days. All four schools will undergo emergency professional restoration and cleaning following the lift of the evacuation orders, prior to the resumption of school," Shelton wrote.

After breaking out late Monday night, the Franklin Fire burned some 2,851 acres by Tuesday afternoon. Over 2,000 structures were under evacuation orders and another roughly 6,000 were subject to an evacuation warning. Roughly 18,000 people live in the affected area.