At Malibu Bluff Park, at the edge of Malibu Canyon, the Franklin Fire has reached the ocean.
The fire spread along the Pacific Coast Highway, scorching trees and the outfield of a baseball field.
This is characteristic of the Malibu Fire, where Santa Ana winds push the flames up mountains and hillsides to the coast.
The coastal city is no stranger to fire, and much of the city center, including Pepperdine University, was under evacuation orders.
Along Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Malibu Canyon Road, a row of clothing stores and restaurants were closed. Several people stood outside their beach huts, watching the smoke rise from the mountains.
Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway closed due to Franklin Fire
(Myung Jay Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Ash fell on the road as semi-trucks carrying fire trucks and heavy equipment headed south.
Near the Malibu Pier, a lone surfer rode the waves as two lifeguards watched from their trucks.
I could hear the sound of a helicopter in the distance.
The fire scorched the Malibu Valley, scorching hillsides, but appeared to have spared dozens of homes on its march to the coast. An outbuilding separate from the main building in Malibu Knowles was burned, but surrounding homes were unharmed.
A woman evacuates on horseback during the Franklin Fire in Malibu early Tuesday morning.
(Ethan Swope/Associated Press)
At Carbon Canyon, field workers struggled to cut containment lines around the fire.
Chinook helicopters swooped down into the lagoon on Pepperdine University’s expansive lawn and sucked up water to extinguish the fire. A few minutes later, it took off into a huge plume of smoke that rose above City Hall.
The sound of giant rotors rippled through the air, swirling the lagoon’s waters into mist.
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