Firefighters struggle to contain wind-driven fire in Malibu threatening homes

Firefighters worked overnight to gain control over a dangerous fire that burned homes in Malibu and forced thousands from their homes.

The Franklin fire continued to menace the coastal city overnight, burning close to some homes and forcing some water drops by helicopters. A red-flag fire danger warning remains in effect for the area until 6 p.m. But winds are expected to ease after that, and firefighters hope to make progress.

At least seven homes were destroyed and eight damaged, but officials said that number could rise as they do more complete assessments. It had burned more than 3,900 acres and was 7% contained as of Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze was reported a few minutes before 11 p.m. Monday along Malibu Canyon Road in the hills north of Pepperdine University and fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, Cal Fire said.

More than 1,500 firefighters battled the fire on the ground Tuesday, building containment lines as air tankers dropped water on the blaze.

By Tuesday evening, average wind speeds around the fire zone had slowed to 15 to 25 mph — a considerable drop from peak wind gusts of up to 65 mph that were recorded when the fire first ignited, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

The Franklin Fire burns in the hills of Malibu.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Past the security gates of Serra Retreat is a small enclave of luxury properties that’s home to celebrities such as Patrick Dempsey, Dick Van Dyke and at one time Mel Gibson. On the fire’s first night, it caught many in the area by surprise. Pets were killed and several cars and homes burned, including one on Mariposa De Oro Street, residents say.

Van Dyke wrote on Facebook that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuated from their home.

“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” he wrote, referring to his cat. “We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”

Alec Gellis, 31, was riding through the neighborhood on his e-bike checking on homes Tuesday afternoon. He and a friend stayed behind overnight Monday into Tuesday to protect properties in the area. The fire, he said, broke out fast. Around 11 p.m. he was in his room when he heard people screaming outside and cars honking.

“The sky was red and the whole canyon was was lit up on the other side,” he said. “We were surrounded by flames. Literally everywhere you looked there was fire.”

He and his friend, 33-year-old Abel Rodgers, grabbed a hose connected to a machine that pumped water from the pool and began spraying down their home. Firefighters were busy trying to push back flames, so for five hours, the two men soaked everything they could, even venturing into neighbors’ yards to help put out spot fires.

Rich Leo was stranded at a gas station on Pacific Coast Highway as spot fires burned around Malibu on Tuesday.

He parked his SUV at a Chevron station, low on gas and flirted with the idea of leaving the area to refuel.

“But I don’t know if I would be able to come back home,” Leo, 79, said as he stood outside the gas station that had no power.

Leo is a longtime resident, over 40 years, and recalls when the Woolsey fire burned through Malibu and down to the coast.

“This one was bad,” he said about the Franklin fire. “It kept jumping and wherever I looked I saw fire last night.”

The fire had only been going for a couple of hours when firefighters banged on the door to his town home near Winter Canyon Road around 1 a.m. but he refused to leave. He worried about the staff at the nearby Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church and school.

He wanted to stay behind to make sure everyone was OK.

At the nearby church, a lone parishioner rode into the school on a bicycle. The fire burned right up to the property line and scorched wooden fence posts and vegetation but firefighters were able to keep the fire from touching the property.

There were no staff as a man who identified himself as Mike walked through the school grounds where the gates were opened and all the water taps were running.

“I just wanted to make sure that everyone was OK and the school was standing,” Mike said. “My kids used to come here when they were little,” he said. “My house burned down in the Woolsey fire so I know what it means when this happens.”

He made his way around a kindergarten classroom as firefighting helicopters overhead rumbled the windows. Then a man appeared out of the brush with a blue bucket filled with water from a tap.

“I’m just trying to do what I can,” said the man, who doused a smoldering fire at the fence line. He declined to give his name and only said that he lived on the hillside around the school.