Mass evacuations are underway in celebrity-filled Malibu following the rapid spread of a wildfire that broke out overnight.
The fast-moving blaze first started at around 11pm PST Monday night. By 7am, it had expanded to 2,200 acres.
As of Tuesday morning, zero percent of the Franklin Fire had been contained, as it continued to tear through the eastern part of Malibu, which is under a mandatory evacuation order.
Over the years, the area has played home to A-listers like Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DiCaprio. Celebs such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Julia Roberts, and Lady Gaga all have homes within the widening warning zone.
Comedian Jonah Hill is reportedly among those who live within the mandatory evacuation order area, in a home in the exclusive Malibu Colony community. As of Tuesday morning, the order has gone out to more than 6,000 residents.
Other big names ranging from Nicolas Cage to Karlie Kloss also call the beachside area home.
Residents of neighborhoods like Sweetwater Canyon and Serra Retreat were among those forced to flee their luxury abodes.
Footage from the fire-ravaged area filmed early Tuesday morning showed firefighters battling the flames.
‘Flames are everywhere. People are running away in vehicles from Malibu both directions on the coastal highway,’ one local told the Los Angeles Times, after the fire had managed to spread across more than 1,800 acres by dawn.
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Evacuations are underway in celebrity-filled Malibu following the rapid spread of a wildfire that broke out overnight
The fast-moving blaze, being called the Franklin Fire (seen from above Tuesday), first started at around 11pm PST Monday night. By 7am, it had expanded to 2,200 acres, spurring the order
‘Malibu Pier and other structures are impacted. Structures are impacted on Malibu Knolls Rd and Sweetwater Cyn,’ the city added in an emergency update around that time, as students and staff at Pepperdine University were ordered to take shelter.
‘The fire is burning so hot that it is modifying the local winds… (and) bending them towards and into the fire,’ the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned later in the morning, as the fire burned through an area larger than five football fields.
Chilling footage shared on X, meanwhile, from frightened Pepperdine students showed flickering flames of the fire mere yards from the campus library, as concerned students, who started their first day of finals on Monday, rushed down stairs to escape.
On social media, one user shared a photo that appeared to show the fire encroaching on the library
Elsewhere, students were pictured wearing protective face masks as they sought shelter in the school’s emergency bunker.
In a post, the university explained how it was initiating a shelter-in-place order after the speed of the fire – fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds – caught them by surprise.
‘The University is now activating its shelter-in-place protocol. All community members on the Malibu campus are directed to shelter in place in the Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library,’ the college wrote.
‘Despite any evacuation orders from Malibu city or surrounding areas, the University community should follow University instructions.’
As of writing, it is not immediately clear how the blaze started. Its spread has been aided by fast-moving winds over Santa Ana
As of Tuesday, zero percent of the blaze had been contained
Meanwhile it continues to tear through the eastern part of Malibu – all of which is now under a mandatory evacuation order
Fire personnel spray water as the Franklin Fire Tuesday morning, as other parts of the blaze rapidly grew by the minute
Firefighters worked relentlessly to contain the flames – so far, to no avail
Scenes from the city were akin to something out of Mordor rather than sunny SoCal, as smoke filled the skies
‘We do not evacuate the campus even when surrounding areas might,’ school officials added. ‘This shelter-in-place protocol is approved by LA County Fire and executed with their cooperation.’
The fast-moving fire reportedly reached Malibu City Hall, with reports that fire engines had been called to the area to assist with the blaze.
It was not immediately known how the blaze started.
Fire crews from nearby Orange and Ventura counties have responded to help quell the flames.
Meanwhile, north to northeast winds were forecast to increase to 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts up to 65 mph Tuesday, the National Weather Service Los Angeles office warned on X – something that could fan the flames.
Additionally, tens of thousands of people saw their power shut off Monday night, in anticipation of strong gusts that could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.
The fire, whose rapid spread has been made possible by these rising winds, broke out while the Santa Ana winds event was underway.
Fire crews from nearby Orange and Ventura counties have travelled to help quell the flames, with helicopters deployed to drop retardant in a bid to contain them
The fire reportedly broke out at 11pm Pacific time as the Santa Ana winds event was underway
Students at Pepperdine University with the brush fire closeby. Students at the university were told to take shelter instead of evacuating despite being within the order area
In a post shared on social media, one user shared a photo which appears to show the brush fire right outside the library
Residents watch from their deck as the Franklin Fire grows in size, threatening to spread westward toward Central Malibu
Meanwhile, shocking images broadcast by local television networks show the devastating blaze running along side Malibu’s canyon road
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for high fire risk at the time, when many in the region started smelling smoke.
Within hours, smoke eclipsed the skies, with flames threatening to stretch as far as Downtown LA.
Meanwhile, shocking images broadcast by local television networks show the devastating blaze running alongside Malibu’s canyon road.
The fire department has issued a mandatory evacuation order for all residents living east of Malibu Canyon Road and South of Piuma Road. Local officials on Tuesday said they were monitoring the situation.