The Franklin Fire in Malibu, California, has burned roughly 4,000 acres of land and is 7% contained as of this writing. It has destroyed and damaged over 15 structures and placed roughly 20,000 people under evacuation orders—including celebrities Cher and Dick Van Dyke. Nearly 60,000 people have lost electricity.
The fire erupted late Monday evening as a brush fire north of Pepperdine University (see maps). The cause is still under investigation. Unusually dry mountains and grass have fueled recent wildfires in Southern California. The Franklin Fire has been further fueled by strong winds and low levels of humidity, creating "Red Flag" conditions and propelling the fire toward Malibu and the Pacific Ocean.
The Red Flag conditions lessened yesterday, with some shelter-in-place orders lifted; at its height, the Franklin Fire was spreading the equivalent of five football fields every minute, growing 39% over 12 hours.
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