Malibu faces mandatory evacuations as Franklin Fire grows to more than 2,700 acres
Thousands of people in Southern California were under evacuation orders or warnings on Tuesday, as the Franklin Fire roared through the wealthy Malibu area and firefighters struggled to contain it.
The fire scorched more than 2,700 acres and remained zero percent contained as of Tuesday afternoon.
More than 18,000 people and some 8,100 homes and structures in the Malibu area were under threat, according to Los Angeles County officials.
More than 2,000 people were forced to evacuate and another 6,000 people were warned to be prepared to flee, according to Anthony Marrone, the Los Angeles County fire chief.
Western and central Malibu were both under mandatory evacuation orders as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Franklin Fire scorched through an area home to high-profile figures and wealthy individuals.
Dick Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, said he and his wife Arlene Silver evacuated their home in Malibu to flee the fire.
“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” Van Dyke said, referring to one of their cats, according to The Associated Press. “We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
The Associated Press contributed.