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A wildfire that burned more than 2,200 acres in the mountains of Malibu came within feet of a home that was rebuilt after another fire in the same area in 2007.
Part of Jaime DiMarco’s home overlooking the valley was rebuilt about 17 years ago after the Coral Fire tore through the rugged mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Just like the November 2007 fire, DiMarco’s brothers did everything they could to protect her home as the Franklin Fire raced up the canyon Monday night.
A darkened patch of hillside just beyond DiMarco’s backyard gate reveals how close the fire burned.
“We’re all pretty lucky. It’s been a long, anxious night,” said Tim Talman, DiMarco’s brother and a member of the LAPD’s Hollywood Division. “I cannot say enough about the hard work of everyone in the fire department.”
The Enclosure Fire occurred on November 24, 2007 at Malibu Creek State Park. Fueled by Santa Ana winds, the fire, similar to the Franklin Fire, grew to 4,900 acres in three days.
DiMarco said the tense moments Monday and early Tuesday were like déjà vu.
The Franklin Fire continued to tear through the hillside near Pepperdine University. Watch live coverage of what happened on NBC4 News on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 11am.
“My hero. He and some other brothers saved this house from burning down in 2007,” DiMarco said. “And he jumped the fence last night and brought down a tree with a fire hose attached to it. And he saved this house twice.”
The Franklin Fire broke out Tuesday morning at 2,200 acres. Homes were damaged and destroyed, but authorities did not know the total amount. Evacuation orders remain in effect and some roads, including the Pacific Coast Highway, are closed.
Details about the cause were not immediately available.
The Franklin Fire in Malibu is one of more than 7,600 wildfires in California this year.
At this time last year, there were more than 6,400 wildfires burning in California, according to Cal Fire. Even more surprising, the State Fire Marshal’s Office announced that 1,040,146 acres burned in 2024, far more than the 308,761 acres burned last year.
The state’s five-year average was 7,239 acres, with 1.2 million acres burned.
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