Malibu Franklin fireplace stay: Dick Van Dyke remembers ‘trying to crawl’ to flee wildfire as over 4,000 acres burned
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
A fast-moving wildfire has scorched more than 4,000 acres in Malibu, forcing 20,000 residents to flee as flames race towards homes, horse farms and Pepperdine University.
The Franklin Fire, another late-year wildfire fanned by fierce Santa Ana winds, has left a trail of destruction as officials confirmed nine structures were destroyed and six damaged. Fire officials say it will take a “number of days” to put out the blaze, according to NBC Los Angeles. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The strongest winds in the area have passed and meteorologists said high fire dangers have decreased, which should aid efforts to contain the fire. Evacuations have displaced thousands of residents, including celebrities Dick Van Dyke and Cher.
Malibu mayor Doug Stewart called it a “traumatic 20 hours” for the city, as emergency operations relocated to Calabasas after the city hall was threatened. He said: “It burns, it grows back, and we’re resilient.”
More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze with many roads closed and others under security patrols. At Pepperdine University, 3,000 students sheltered in place as smoke and embers engulfed the campus. “Ash was everywhere, embers were everywhere,” said a student, Bethany Kronlund.
Franklin Fire smoke plumes seen 25 miles away
Dick Van Dyke’s orange cat Bobo has been found
Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke and his wife Arlene were able to return to their home after evacuating from Malibu’s Franklin Fire.
The house was unharmed, and his orange cat Bobo was reported to be safe.
Bobo had escaped as the couple was fleeing the flames.
Helicopter footage shows rapid spread of Franklin Fire in Malibu
Dick Van Dyke faces tragic loss amid Malibu wildfire evacuations: ‘We’re praying’
Actor Dick Van Dyke said Thursday that trying to escape the Malibu Franklin Fire was “exhausting.”
“It was coming from the hill, you could see it,” the Mary Poppins star told NBC’sToday show. “And oh my God, and we got out of here. I was trying to crawl to the car, I had exhausted myself, I couldn’t get up.”
He said his neighbors “saved” him.
“Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guest house and saved me,” Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, recalled.
Los Angeles County Mayor says city will ‘get through this together’
Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart assured residents that the city is with them on Wednesday night.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with our community members who have lost their homes during this disaster,” he told reporters at a news briefing.
“We will get through this together, and the city will be with you every step of the way.”
Los Angeles County officials said that approximately 20,000 residents are under evacuation orders or warnings and 6,300 people have been evacuated.
Deputy Fire Chief Albert Yanagisawa announced that nine structures had been destroyed.
“We recognize that the updates are difficult to hear,” he said.
“As we look forward in the days to come, I want to ensure that getting the citizens back into their homes is our number one priority,” said Cal Fire’s Dusty Martin. “But, to do that, we have to make sure that the area is safe before we can let folks back in.”
Martin said that there are 1,974 personnel working to fight the more than 4,000-acre blaze. The wildfire remains just 7 percent contained.
He explained that the challenging area was the west side of the fire, but that they expected the winds to possibly shift direction on Thursday.
Gusts may be up to 20 miles per hour, he said.
Southern California Edison says power has been restored to customers
Amid improved weather conditions, utility Southern California Edison said Thursday that power has been restored to customers in the Malibu area and that traffic signals are functioning after windy weather resulted in temporary outages, MyNewsLA.com reported.
Despite restoration, the city said evacuation orders and warnings remain in place.
Just over 6,000 customers are currently without power in the state, according to PowerOutage.US.
Red flag warnings have ended but hazards remain across Southern California
Red flag warnings were ended over the area affected by the Franklin Fire, but forecasters said that elevated to brief critical conditions are lingering through the evening for the southwest Santa Barbara County and the San Gabriel Mountains.
A beach hazards statement was in effect in the region through Sunday afternoon, including for the Malibu Coast and Los Angeles County beaches. Dangerous rip currents and breaking waves due to elevated surf of between four and six feet are forecast, as well as coastal flooding and tidal overflow.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning. Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore,” the National Weather Service said.
And, a storm system off the Oregon coast will bring breezy coastal winds and light rain chances to the northern areas and mountains.
Friday is expected to be dry, but another system is being watched with impacts anticipated over the weekend.
Source: independent.co.uk
