MALIBU, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 10: A firefighter sprays water as firefighters work to protect a home while the Franklin Fire burns on December 10, 2024 n Malibu, California. The wildfire has scorched 1,800 acres near Pepperdine University prompting evacuations along the coast amid high winds with some structures destroyed. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Many residents in Malibu woke up to the news that a wildfire in their neighborhood had grown overnight.
The Franklin Fire, which had started Monday at around 11 p.m., has now grown to well over 2,700 acres.
About 18,000 residents live in the area affected by the fire, according to officials.
Sheriff’s deputies went door to door, waking up residents and letting them know they had to evacuate.
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Susan G, a resident in the area, said she has a home up in the hillsides and another along Pacific Coast Highway. The flames came within 100 feet of her home located on the hill side.
“So far they’ve been really organized and the firemen are doing a great job,” Susan said. She says she is feeling thankful, but “scared for all the people’s homes that are in jeopardy.”
A row of fire engines was seen at the base of Sweetwater Canyon where several homes were threatened.
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“You have a plan, and you stick to your plan and you’re gonna be ok. But the people that are frightened really need to move, and I think most of them have,” Robert Moran, a resident said. “If the wind is blowing hard, which it was maybe an hour, two hours ago, there’s no stopping it. So you grab your stuff and you get out, you save your life.”
The flames were burning not far from the Chabad of Malibu, run by Rabbi Levi Cunin.
“We’re just praying, you know, it’s one of those things you have to deal with over here,” Cunin said. “Thank God for the first responders, they’re always amazing, and thank God the winds are down.These are those areas that we don't have control over but we can help each other and look out for each other."
Cunin, who has been in Malibu for 30 years, said his wife woke him up around midnight and they knew they had to leave.
“Across the canyon the flames were just crazy,” Walter Tharpe, a resident of the Sweetwater Canyon area, said. “So we gathered our pets, our essentials. Living here for 19 years, you have a plan.”
