California coastal city Malibu faced a rapid spread of wildfires in the early hours of Tuesday, December 10th, threatening local residents and prompting police to go door-to-door to notify residents to evacuate.
Malibu city announced earlier on Tuesday that evacuation shelters had been opened and the entire city was experiencing a power outage.
The National Weather Service issued a red warning for the area, indicating wind speeds could reach up to 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers per hour), describing the current situation as “particularly dangerous.”
The wildfire, dubbed the “Franklin Fire,” forced students at Pepperdine University in Malibu to shelter on campus overnight. The fire caused power outages, leading some students to be evacuated to the university’s common areas and library.
Nick Gerding, a student at Pepperdine University, told CNN during an interview at the school library on Tuesday, “It seems like the danger of the wildfire has passed now.” He estimated that around 400 students were seeking refuge with him in the library.
As the fire spread from Monday night, the area affected expanded to 1,822 acres (737 hectares) and crossed the Pacific Coast Highway heading south. Currently, the Los Angeles Fire Department is working to extinguish the wildfire, with no reports of casualties at present.