A wildfire in Malibu prompts evacuations as it burns near Pepperdine University

MALIBU, Calif. –

Firefighters battled a wildfire early Tuesday in Malibu that prompted evacuations near Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library watched as the fire intensified and the sky turned deep red.

“Just seeing the flames grow and seeing that bright red color of fire just get brighter and brighter and brighter — it was so scary,” student Gabrielle Salgado told KABC-TV. The university later said the worst of the fire had pushed past campus.

It was not immediately known how the blaze, named the Franklin Fire, started but Los Angeles County Fire Department officials estimated that at least 2.8 square miles (7.2 square kilometres) had burned and structures were threatened.

The fire burned amid dangerous fire conditions because of Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds. The evacuation order encompassed about 6,000 people and more than 2,000 structures, KABC-TV reported, attributing that information to fire officials.

A damage estimate was not available, but “it’s certain some number of homes are definitely going to be badly damaged,” Matt Myerhoff, a spokesperson for the city of Malibu, told the station.

He said the fire moved south, jumping over the Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean. At one point, it had threatened the historic Malibu Pier, but the pier was protected and is intact, Myerhoff said.

Pepperdine cancelled classes and finals for the day and there was a shelter-in-place order. Fire engines were on campus and helicopters were dropping water collected from lakes in the school’s Alumni Park onto the fire.

“The university understands the worst of the fire has pushed past Pepperdine. However, there are smaller spot fires on campus that are not threatening life or structures, and fire resources remain on campus to address these spot fires as they occur,” Pepperdine posted in a statement online.

North to northeast winds were forecast to increase to 30 to 40 m.p.h. (48 to 64 km/h) with gusts up to 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) expected, The National Weather Service Los Angeles office posted on X.

Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore. They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring.

The Weather Service issued a red flag warning for high fire risk with a rare “particularly dangerous situation,” or PDS, designation starting at 8 p.m. Monday into Tuesday for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.