Flames burned near Pepperdine University and forced thousands in the coastal city to evacuate.
MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) -- Firefighters are battling a wind-driven brush fire in Malibu that prompted evacuation orders and warnings for much of the city and caused Pepperdine University students to shelter in place on campus for two nights.
The Franklin Fire was reported just before 11 p.m. Monday in the area of Malibu Canyon Road north of Pacific Coast Highway. The blaze has since grown to 4,037 acres and containment stands at 20%.
At least nine structures were reported destroyed and another six damaged as of Wednesday evening. The cause of the fire is unknown.
A real-time map provided by fire officials showed the perimeter and evacuation areas of the massive Franklin Fire.
The map on the Los Angeles County Fire Department website reflected the mandatory evacuation order that covered the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road, as well as the Serra Retreat area.
Fire officials said the voluntary evacuation order area encompassed about 6,000 people and more than 2,000 structures. The evacuation warning area covered 12,500 people and more than 6,000 structures.
Voluntary mandatory evacuations
Evacuation warnings
MAP: Franklin Fire in Malibu evacuations
Road closures
Soft closures: Open only to residents with identification
Hard closures:
Related story: Malibu fire road closures
Evacuation centers
All Malibu schools within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will be closed Tuesday as the Franklin Fire burns in the area.
That includes Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle School and Malibu High, officials said.
Strong Santa Ana winds returned to Southern California on Monday and a red-flag warning is in place through Wednesday night. The winds are expected to grow stronger on Tuesday.
Because of the red flag warning, fire officials noted that a strike team was pre-deployed in the area and was able to respond quickly when the fire was first reported.
Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore. They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Franklin Fire has grown to 1,822 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to CAL FIRE.
Video obtained by Eyewitness News shows smoke and flames from the wildfire just outside a window of the Payson Library where students were taking shelter.
Gabrielle Salgado, a senior at Pepperdine University, was one of the many students asked to shelter in place.
She spoke with ABC7 on Tuesday and said she was in her dorm when the power went out around 11 p.m.
"I was actually sitting at the window where the trees caught fire," she said. "I was here earlier when they caught fire, we have like palm trees at our park in front of campus. It didn't spread. Firefighters got it out pretty quickly."
She said her friends who live off-campus were stuck either at home or at the library.
"It really is a stressful situation because they can't come to campus and they can't really leave the campus," she said.
