Franklin Fire in Malibu stabilizes at 35% containment, 4,037 acres

The Franklin Fire in Malibu has held steady since early Saturday at 4,037 acres with crews achieving 35% containment, according to Cal Fire.

Firefighters continued to thoroughly douse the blaze smoldering in steep terrain, officials said. Cooler weather, higher humidity and the absence of powerful winds have helped minimize the destructive wildfire’s spread over the last two days.

“Fire activity remained minimal overnight with no significant fire growth,” according to a Cal Fire statement Monday morning. “The fire continues to smolder in steep and very dangerous terrain. Aerial suppression efforts in those areas have been successful in keeping the fire subdued.”

During the fire’s peak, approximately 20,000 people were subject to evacuation orders or warnings. Some of them were allowed to return home Thursday when fire conditions began improving.

According to Cal Fire, as of Saturday morning:

• 19 residential, commercial and other types of structures have been destroyed;
• 23 structures have been damaged;
• 1,025 buildings were threatened; and
• 1,725 personnel were assigned to the firefight.

Damage assessments were 80% complete, according to Malibu officials.

On Friday authorities said all evacuation orders have been reduced to warnings, allowing all residents to return to their homes.

Pacific Coast Highway is fully open for traffic from Topanga Canyon to Kanan Dume Road, officials said.

The only remaining hard road closure is Malibu Canyon between Civic Center Way and Piuma Road, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

“Residents returning to their homes in repopulation zones can do so with confidence that these areas have been thoroughly inspected by agencies and deemed safe,” according to a city of Malibu statement. “However, all residents are urged to remain cautious and follow instructions from public safety officials.”

The city provided guidance on staying safe in burn areas and the proper use of protective equipment at publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Wildfire. The latest information on evacuations and road closures is also online:

• Evacuation status — protect.genasys.com;
• Road closures — pw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures; and
• Recovery information — recovery.lacounty.gov/franklinfire.

The city also has a fire website — malibucity.org/FranklinFire — and posts about the fire on its the social media sites, @CityofMalibu on Facebook and Instagram and @CityMalibu on X.

For information about recovery efforts, officials suggested Los Angeles County’s website, lacounty.gov/emergency.

A local assistance center at Malibu City Hall will be available Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m., officials said. Representatives from LA County Public Works, Waterworks District 29, the U.S. Postal Service, Southern California Edison, the Red Cross and the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu will assist residents who need to reconnect services and access recovery resources.

All city parks were open Saturday, except Malibu Bluff’s Park, Temporary Skate Park and Pool, officials said.

Throughout Thursday, fire activity remained minimal, and noteworthy fire growth did not occur, Cal Fire reported.

The Franklin Fire began shortly before 11 p.m. Monday in a section of Malibu Canyon where a high amount of dry brush aided the fire’s rapid spread. The blaze erupted amid a rare “particularly dangerous situation red flag warning” from the National Weather Service, which reported strong wind gusts and very arid conditions.

The fire’s cause was under investigation.

Pepperdine University reported power outages and required students and staff to shelter in place early Tuesday. The shelter-in-place order was lifted Tuesday morning, but students and staff were urged to stay off the local roads.

University officials postponed final exams and campus operations were suspended, with much of the campus without electricity.

All Malibu schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were closed Tuesday through Friday. Santa Monica schools in the district remained open.

Santa Monica College’s campus in Malibu also closed through Friday.

Southern California Edison officials began restoring power to neighborhoods in the area late Wednesday afternoon after the red flag warning was lifted, but some areas were still affected.

LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger signed an emergency declaration in response to the fire early Tuesday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state had secured a federal funding to help the firefight.

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