Raging Malibu fire burned to the Pacific Ocean but spared some hillside homes

Richard Winton and Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times on Dec 10, 2024

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LOS ANGELES — At Malibu Bluffs Park at the end of Malibu Canyon, the Franklin fire reached the ocean.

The fire jumped Pacific Coast Highway, charring the trees and baseball outfields.

This is a hallmark of Malibu fires, where the Santa Ana wind push flames over the mountains and hillside and down to the beach.

The coastal city is used to fires, and much of the central area of the city — including Pepperdine University — was under an evacuation order.

Along Pacific Coast Highway, between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Malibu Canyon Road, rows of clothing shops and restaurants were closed. A few people stood outside their beach homes glancing at the smoke billowing from the mountains.

Ash fell on the street as fire trucks and semi-trucks transporting heavy machinery traveled south.

Near the Malibu Pier, a lone surfer caught waves while two lifeguards stood watch from their truck.

In the distance the sound of helicopters could be heard.

The fire burned down Malibu Canyon, charring hillsides, but seemingly spared dozens of homes in its march to the shore. An outbuilding separate from a main house in Malibu Knolls burned, but other homes around it were unscathed.

In Carbon Canyon, hand crews toiled cutting containment lines around the fire.

Chinook helicopters dipped down into a lagoon on the vast lawn of Pepperdine University sucking up water to battle the fire. After a couple of minutes, it lifted off heading for an immense plume of smoke billowing above the civic center.

The sound of the vast rotors rippled through the air tossing up the lagoon’s waters in a misty haze.