Franklin fire didn’t grow but containment rises to 30%
The Franklin fire, which began in Malibu late Monday night, Dec. 9, remained at 4,000 or so burned acres as of Thursday evening, Dec. 12 — but containment was rising and reached 30%, authorities said.
Although the charred acreage did not grown in a day, the containment level — the percentage of the perimeter that is not expected to bulge due to natural barriers like the ocean or rocks or firefighting efforts — jumped up from 7%.
Officials continue to assess the blaze’s damage and have made their way through a quarter of the fire zone. So far, authorities have determined that nine structures have been destroyed: Four were homes and five were outbuildings, such as sheds.
Six other structures have been damaged.
Here’s what we know:
- Acres burned: 4,037
- Containment: 30%
- Known structures affected: Nine destroyed and nine damaged
- People evacuated: 6,300 people estimated under evacuation orders
- Fire Personnel: More than 1,900
- Cause of fire: Unknown
- When it started: 10:50 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9
“There was a valiant effort amongst these firefighters among the first 36, 40 hours,” said Eleni Pappas, deputy fire chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “It was an incredible show of commitment that contained the fire to the footprint you see today.”
At one point, 1,700-plus first responders were on the blaze, according to a Malibu official.
Fire authorities say they want to get evacuated people back into their homes, when it is safe to do so. Some evacuation orders have been lifted, opening areas up for residents to return, sheriff’s Capt. Jennifer Seetoo said.
“We will continue aggressively to provide security patrols to this entire community,” the captain said, in an effort to thwart any burglars trying to take advantage of empty homes.
Some road closures remained. To learn about evacuation orders and warnings, go to lacounty.gov/emergency.