A wildfire broke out late Monday in Malibu, prompting evacuations as strong Santa Ana winds fanned the flames.
Called the Franklin fire, the fire was reported before 11 p.m. on Malibu Canyon Road and north of Francisco Ranch Road in the mountains north of Pepperdine University. The fire was spreading rapidly to the east, and just before midnight, the flames had burned about 100 hectares, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Aerial footage from local news stations early Tuesday showed flames engulfing hillsides as palm trees were blown over by strong winds. The National Weather Service reported sustained winds of up to 45 mph and gusts of up to 65 mph.
Authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road and in the Serra Retreat area.
In a statement, Pepperdine University said that the fire is not currently affecting any of the campuses, but there may be a power outage in the area.
The National Weather Service has issued an “Extremely Hazardous Condition” red flag warning for much of Los Angeles and Ventura, which will remain in place until Tuesday afternoon. Gusts of up to 80 mph are possible, and relative humidity is forecast to be alarmingly low, while vegetation is extremely dry.
The National Weather Service said that in the Franklin fire area, strong and dangerous winds from the north and northeast are expected to attack early Tuesday, until they end Tuesday morning.
Relative humidity levels were as low as 9% just before midnight.
This is the second time this fire season the weather service has issued a red flag warning of a Special Dangerous Situation. The last time the warning was issued was on November 5, and a day later, the Mountain fire burned in Ventura County and, driven by strong winds, destroyed more than 240 structures. It was the third most destructive wildfire in Southern California since 2013.
Santa Ana’s dry, strong winds are driven by a system of high pressure structures in the Great Basin, which sends broken air down canyons and mountain ranges to the coast, where there is low pressure.
Malibu and the neighboring communities of Thousand Oaks, Oak Park and Agoura Hills saw significant damage from the 2018 Woolsey fire, which destroyed more than 1,600 structures and burned 97,000 acres.
This story will be updated.
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