The Franklin Fire in Malibu did not grow as much Wednesday night as more firefighting crews were called out as winds in the area subsided.
The Franklin Fire had burned 4,035 acres with 7% containment as of Wednesday night, according to Cal Fire, which took command Wednesday morning.
“The mild weather allowed us to have a lot of success around the fire,” Cal Fire’s Dusty Martin said at a news conference Wednesday night. “We are monitoring wind changes (on Thursday) for the possibility of a change in the direction of the fire.”
NBC Los Angeles meteorologist Melissa McGee said winds in the Malibu Canyon and Pepperdine University areas are expected to remain calm Thursday.
Firefighters had hoped that changing weather conditions would boost efforts, but they have not been able to reach some of the steep, inaccessible terrain where the fire started, Martin said.
There are 6,300 displaced people who have not been allowed to return to their homes, and authorities said getting them back home was their “top priority”.
Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Albert Yanagisawa said the fire’s spread appears to have slowed, but further investigation shows more structures have been destroyed, and damage assessment teams say 25% of the affected area has been destroyed. It added that it had completed its investigation. According to the latest tally, nine structures were destroyed and six others were damaged.
Officials said 1,974 firefighters were assigned to the Franklin fire.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continued to enforce evacuations and road closures, while conducting additional patrols to ensure evacuated homes had not been burglarized.
We understand that everyone is eager for all avenues to be opened. We are all working towards that goal and I assure you that we will soon be able to restore our population. ” said Jennifer Seatu of the Sheriff’s Office.
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