By Jorge Garcia
MALIBU, California (Reuters) -A wildfire fanned by strong winds was burning on Tuesday just northwest of Los Angeles forced some residents in Malibu to evacuate as it threatened homes, knocked out power and closed roads in the beach community.
The brush fire blaze, called the Franklin Fire, grew overnight from five acres (two hectares) to 2,713 acres (1,097 hectares) along the steep mountainous terrain, spreading south over the Pacific Coast Highway in the picturesque coastal city of about 10,000 people.
The fire, which is zero percent contained, has destroyed a small number of homes, but has not caused any injuries or deaths, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told a news conference on Tuesday.
"We are going to have a coordinated ground and air assault," Marrone said, noting that 300 additional firefighters will join the 700 already battling the blaze. "Because of the difficulties in this particular area, time is of the essence for us to grab a hold of this fire."
The fire's cause remains unknown, Marrone said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that 2,043 structures were under evacuation orders and 6,046 were under evacuation warnings.
One of those who evacuated was actor Dick Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, and said on Facebook that he and his wife and animals had left the area and that he hoped "our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires."
Burned homes smoldered on Tuesday as aircraft dropped water on burning vegetation.
“I was going back to check on their homes and I was actually thinking that it was going to be no big deal," said Malibu resident Fred Roberts. "But after I've seen this one and that one there burnt, I know this is the real deal. And it did hit here hard.”
Roberts said the winds coming down Malibu Canyon were "like a blowtorch."
Governor Gavin Newsom said California had obtained a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to secure resources to suppress the fire.
Authorities went door to door overnight to alert thousands of residents and closed roads as the fire grew.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning, signaling an increased risk of fire danger for the area as Santa Ana wind gusts on Tuesday could reach 65 miles (104 km) an hour, a situation described as particularly hazardous.
The warning remains in effect through Wednesday, but the weather service expects the winds to be lighter.
Pepperdine University in Malibu in the morning lifted its shelter-in-place protocol that forced students to evacuate to the school's commons and library overnight. It told students to return to their residences and on-campus homes and to remain on campus and stay off Malibu roads.
"Our campus, thoughtfully designed and maintained with fire safety in mind, has proven to be a secure place for our community during wildfires affecting the Malibu campus," Pepperdine President Jim Gash said in a statement.
"Thankfully, there has been little damage to campus structures and no reports of injuries among our students, faculty, or staff."
(Reporting by Jorge Garcia in Malibu and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Writing by Mary Milliken in Los Angeles;Editing by Bernadette Baum, Will Dunham, Chizu Nomiyama and Sonali Paul)
