The Franklin Wildfire in California Has Scorched Over More than 4,000 Acres

Franklin Fire in Malibu is Threatening Thousands of Buildings and Residents

Julian Whitecar, Staff Writer

December 16, 2024

Firefighters work to put out hot spots.

The Franklin Fire in Malibu was first reported on Monday Dec. 9th at around 10:50PM at South Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary. The fire has now burned across over 4,037 acres as of Thursday Dec. 12th and thousands of homes remain under evacuation orders. At least 8 buildings have damaged by the fire.

The fire is effecting thousands of buildings including Pepperdine University and the Malibu Mansion. According to CBS News, Pepperdine University lifted their shelter-in-place at 6:30 on Wednesday. The university has canceled classes and exams (Hylton, Dec. 11th).

A firefighter watches over a hill (Kyle Grillot)

According to LA county officials, there has also been several road closures in areas where the flames pose a danger (LA county officials).

In a news conference on Wednesday, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said the fire increased in size over Wednesday night by 39%.

In an interview with CBS News, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said “As of info we have now, there are no reports of significant injuries or deaths and that is a huge victory – and that is because of this work being done.” (Fioresi, Hylton, Sharp, Rodriguez, Dec. 12th).

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

According to Cal Fire’s website, the fire is currently 30% contained as of Friday Dec. 13th.