Fast-moving wildfire forces evacuations near Malibu

Actor Dick Van Dyke and musician Cher are among thousands of residents who have been ordered to evacuate from the city of Malibu after a fast-moving wildfire broke out and burned acres of the wealthy Los Angeles-area enclave.

The blaze has been dubbed the Franklin Fire by authorities, who say it started in Malibu Canyon at about 22:50 local time on Monday (07:50 GMT) and has so far burned at least seven homes.

A mandatory evacuation order is in place for a swathe of Malibu. No injuries have been reported, but the blaze was still zero per cent contained as of Tuesday night.

It is not yet clear what caused the fire, but the region has been under a red-flag warning, meaning conditions are ripe for extreme fires.

More than 3,000 acres of land have so far been burned, according to the latest update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The blaze has left a trial of burnt-out cars and buses as well as the charred remains of homes.

Malibu is popular with celebrities. Homes owned by stars including Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Jay Z were reportedly among those in the evacuation zone.

Van Dyke was among the stars forced to flee, he said in a post on Facebook.

The Mary Poppins star, who turns 99 on Friday, said he and his wife Arlene safely left with their pets, except for one cat named Bobo, which remains missing.

"We're praying he'll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires," he wrote on Facebook.

Witnesses told KABC-TV that the home belonging to the actor's neighbour had caught fire, but that Dyke's was untouched.

Singer Cher also had to flee the fire, according to the New York Times.

Barbra Streisand is another famous resident of Malibu, however, her publicist told the New York Times it's unclear whether she has evacuated.

Schools in the area have closed, roads are shut, and power has been cut locally to prevent worsening the blaze.

Meanwhile, evacuation centres have been opened for residents and animals. More than 5,000 people were in the evacuation zone, according to data from Cal Fire.

The blaze broke out near Pepperdine University.

The college had directed students to shelter in place, but has since lifted that order.

Officials continue to encourage students to remain on the ocean-side campus since nearby roads are closed for crews fighting the blaze.

Power to much of the campus and wider area was expected to stay cut off for the "foreseeable future", Pepperdine said.

Footage showed students sheltering in the library as a wall of fire approached on Monday evening.

Fire crews hosed down the flames. Pepperdine reported there was minor damage on campus, but no students or staff had been injured.

Wildfires more generally in California have the capacity to burn through tens of thousands of acres of vegetation due to the typical dry conditions in the region.

The Franklin Fire is relatively small by comparison, though it has spread quickly.

Malibu city authorities initially said the fire was about three miles (4.8km) north of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) - an iconic road along the Pacific Ocean known for its stunning views - but it quickly spread south, jumping across the route into the Malibu Pier area.

The evacuation order covered a region that included east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Puma Road as well as the Serra Retreat area, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department said.

A map of the blaze shows it was bordering city hall government facilities, a school and a number of homes in the area - including a line of oceanfront properties.

In an update on Tuesday night, officials said they had to move the command centre to the city of Calabasas, after city hall was threatened by the flames.

Officials warn that the fires are being fuelled by the seasonal Santa Ana winds.

The latest incident comes about a month after another fire forced thousands of people to evacuate another nearby city, Moorpark.

California is a state that is prone to wildfires. The amount of burned areas in the summer in northern and central part of the state increased fivefold from 1996 to 2021 compared with the 24-year period before.

Scientists have attributed this to climate change, though not all wildfires can automatically be linked directly to this cause.

The science is complicated and human factors, including how we manage land and forests, also contribute.

However, scientists say climate change is making weather conditions that lead to wildfires, such as heat and drought, more likely.

Have you been asked to evacuate because of the fire? Get in touch.