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The Franklin Fire burning in Malibu was caused by dangerous winds, dry conditions and low humidity, which combined to cause the explosion.
conditions
Wind gusts of up to 65 mph were reported around the time the fire started. By about 3:30 a.m., the winds had weakened slightly, with gusts in the 40 mph range, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said.
Unlike during the Woolsey Fire in 2018, water-dropping aircraft were able to fly at night.
But Hall said patterns seen in past Santa Ana wind events “suggest that the winds should pick up around dawn,” which occurs around 6:50 a.m.
The relative humidity at the fire site on Tuesday morning was less than 5%, making it very dry.
The National Weather Service has issued an unusual “especially hazardous conditions” red flag for Los Angeles and Ventura counties that will last until 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The high wind warning is expected to remain in effect until 1pm on Tuesday.
And a regular red flag warning, meaning the National Weather Service has high confidence that dangerous fire conditions exist, is expected to remain in place until Wednesday afternoon.
Areas at particular risk include large swathes of Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Oxnard, Fillmore, and Ojai, and locations in Los Angeles County, including Malibu, Canoga Park, Santa Clarita, and Acton.
This area is particularly dry. Only 0.14 inches of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles since the start of the water year on October 1st. This is well below the average for this time of year, which has already dropped an average of 1.87 inches.
There is little chance of rain in Los Angeles and Ventura counties next week.
“We don’t expect significant rain in the Los Angeles area next week,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Robbie Munro. “It will probably stay dry.”
Tuesday weather forecast
A particularly hazardous fire warning remains in effect until 2pm Tuesday
A red flag fire warning is in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
The Franklin Fire burned at least 1,800 acres.
Evacuation orders were issued for the eastern half of Malibu, and evacuation advisories were issued for the rest of the city. According to the fire brigade, about 6,000 people live in the area where evacuation orders have been issued, a large portion of the city’s population of about 11,000. Approximately 2,000 structures are affected by the mandatory evacuation order. Pepperdine University asked people on campus to shelter in place.
Recorded wind gusts:
Magic Mountain Track Trail – 93 Palo Sola Track Trail – 77 Oak Ridge Oil Field – 74 Bonnie Mountain – 73 Limekiln Ridge – 68
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