Firefighters are continuing to fight the Franklin Fire, which ignited Dec. 9 around 11 p.m. in Malibu Canyon, south of Piuma Road.
Malibu was under a red flag warning at the time the fire ignited, with high Santa Ana winds and low humidity.
Monday, Dec. 9: Late Night
Shortly after the fire started, Pepperdine lost power. At the time of the power outage, the Franklin Fire had burned approximately 30 acres, according to Emergency Services. Flames and smoke were visible from Pepperdine’s campus. Although Pepperdine had not yet instituted their shelter-in-place protocols, students and faculty began gathering in Payson Library.
As midnight approached, the blaze moved towards Serra Retreat — which Malibu Emergency Services alerted that an mandatory evacuation was in place for the area.
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Early Morning
Pepperdine Emergency Services notified the Pepperdine community to shelter-in-place early Tuesday morning around 1 a.m.. Students sheltered in Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center. Some students made the decision to evacuate campus.
As the fire grew, Malibu closed sections on PCH — from Las Flores to Corral Canyon — and Las Virgenes from Mullholland to PCH, according to the City of Malibu.
Around 2:30 a.m., the Franklin Fire had burned over 800 acres. Helicopters circled Malibu’s sky and took water from the lakes on Alumni Park, according to Emergency Services. The fire had spread to Malibu Road.
Malibu placed an emergency evacuation order into place for the area between Tuna Canyon and Puerco Canyon, according to the City of Malibu. By 3:30 a.m. the fire jumped PCH — threatening the Malibu Pier, Malibu Road, Malibu Knolls and Sweetwater Mesa.
Roads in Malibu continued to close throughout the morning.
All Malibu schools closed due to the fire and power outages, according to a Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Instagram post.
Still without power, Pepperdine sheltered-in-place until around 7:30 a.m. Dining Services served students breakfast before the shelter-in-place order was lifted. As the sun began to rise, the Franklin Fire burned nearly 2,000 acres, according to Emergency Services.
Pepperdine encouraged students to remain on campus as many roads in Malibu remained closed.
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Afternoon
Smoke filled Pepperdine’s skyline and helicopters hovered above. Some spot fires continued to burn on the hillsides but it seemed as if the worst of the fire had passed campus.
Although Pepperdine seemed out of the fire’s line of sight, firefighters were still tirelessly working to protect the rest of Malibu.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., evacuation orders were put into place for central and western Malibu, according to the City of Malibu.
Pepperdine canceled finals for the rest of the week, according to a University email.
Pepperdine served free lunch and breakfast in the caf for the Pepperdine community, according to a University email. At that time, the only way to exit campus was through John Tyler drive heading towards Kanan Dume Road.
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Evening
Pepperdine reinstated their shelter-in-place protocols for Tuesday night as power remained out for the majority of campus.
That night, flames returned to campus — this time near faculty housing and residential halls.
The Franklin Fire moved towards Drescher and made its way down to Huntsinger Circle — the road behind Towers, Lovernich and Seaside residential halls, according to Emergency Services. The flames also made their way towards the Malibu Country Estates.
Wednesday, Dec. 11: Morning
Pepperdine lifted its shelter-in-place order once again around 6:30 a.m.
By 10 a.m., the Franklin Fire reached 3,893 acres and was 7% contained. Roads remained closed throughout Malibu.
Pepperdine regained power around 7:30 a.m.
Reopening, Repopulating and Recovering
As of Sunday evening, the fire has burned over 4,000 acres and is 42% contained, according to CAL FIRE.
As the week passed by roads in Malibu began to reopen.
Malibu residents and Pepperdine students were able to return home with proof of ID, according to the City of Malibu.
Malibu schools are set to reopen Dec. 16, according to the City.
Along with burned vegetation, the Franklin Fire resulted in structural damage. Eight residential homes burned and 14 others were damaged, according to the City. Seven commercial buildings were damaged as well.
The only hard closure that remains is Malibu Canyon Road between Piuma Road and Civic Center Way.
City Hall will reopen Dec. 18 and many Malibu businesses have reopened.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Contact Gabrielle Salgado via email: gabrielle.salgado@pepperdine.edu
