Malibu wildfire forces evacuations

A wildfire just northwest of Los Angeles forced evacuations, knocked out power and closed roads.

The Franklin Fire spread overnight in Malibu near the Pacific Coast Highway that lies along the ocean out of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that the blaze was uncontrolled.

"The fire is currently estimated at over 2,200 acres, and we have 700 firefighting personnel assigned. Because of the great work of the firefighters that were on scene, we have only a minimal number of homes destroyed. Thankfully, we have no reports of serious injuries or fatalities. And this fire is not contained.”

Burned homes smoldered as aircraft dropped red fire retardant on burning vegetation.

Governor Gavin Newsom said California received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for resources to control the fire.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning due to strong Santa Ana winds.

Those winds come down from Southern California's Santa Ana Mountains, blowing hot, dry air from the east and raising the risk of fires.

Pepperdine University near Malibu ended a safety measure that required students to stay in the commons and library overnight due to the fire.

It told students to stay on campus and avoid Malibu roads.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was battling the blaze as county sheriff's deputies went door to door, urging people to leave their homes. Malibu opened evacuation sites while power was shut off across the city, it said in an online post.

Burned homes smoldered as aircraft dropped water on burning vegetation.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the area as wind gusts could reach 129 km an hour, describing the situation as "particularly dangerous."

The warning remains in effect through, but the weather service expects the winds to be lighter.