Fast-moving wildfire forces thousands to leave homes in star-filled Malibu area
A quick-spreading fire near Los Angeles has grown to over 2‚700 acres forcing many Malibu residents to leave their homes. Fire-fighters are working non-stop while strong Santa Ana winds make their job harder
A fast-moving wildfire thats spreading near Los Angeles has turned into a serious threat for Malibu residents forcing many to leave their beach-side homes. The Franklin Fire which started as a small 5-acre brush fire yesterday‚ has now grown to over 2‚700 acres (about four square-miles)
The fire department is working round-the-clock to control the situation: about 700 fire-fighters are already on-site and 300 more are coming to help. Anthony Marrone‚ LA County Fire Chief says theyʼre planning a mix of ground and air attacks to stop the fire which hasnt been contained yet
Sheriff Robert Luna reports that over 2‚000 buildings are under must-leave orders with another 6‚000 getting ready-to-leave warnings. Among those who left is Dick Van Dyke (who turns 99 this friday) posting on social media that his family and pets moved to a safer place
We are going to have a coordinated ground and air assault; because of the difficulties in this particular area time is of the essence for us to grab a hold of this fire
The weather isnt helping: Santa Ana winds are blowing at up-to 65 mph making it hard to fight the fire. Local resident Fred Roberts says the winds coming down Malibu Canyon were like a blow-torch. Meanwhile Pepperdine University which first told students to stay inside has now let them return to their dorms but asked to stay on campus
