As shown on real-time maps created by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Cal Fire, a mandatory evacuation order was issued covering the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road, as well as the Serra Retreat area.
The fire erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Monday and swiftly moved south, jumping over Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean, where large homes line the beach and rugged inland canyons are notoriously fire prone. At one point, flames threatened the historic Malibu Pier, but the structure was protected, officials said.
Firefighters working in rugged terrain protected canyon homes overnight as some residents evacuated on foot with their horses. As the sun came up Tuesday, heavy smoke billowed over the Pepperdine campus and the adjacent mountains that plunge toward the coast. A shelter-in-place order was lifted but the university canceled classes and finals for Tuesday.
It was not immediately known how the fire started, but fire officials estimated that nearly 3 square miles of trees and dry brush had burned and structures were threatened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.