Thousands of people fleeing, the iconic Californian beach of Malibu deserted and surrounded by flames, Pepperdine University forced to cancel classes. The Franklin Fire, as the blaze in Southern California has been called, is eating away at the ground at a rate of five football fields per minute. The inferno is so powerful that it is changing already extreme atmospheric conditions. “It is changing the direction of the winds – explained the weather service of the National Weather Service – and is pushing them into the fire”.
In the space of a few hours, the Franklin Fire went from destroying fifty acres to more than a thousand along one of America’s most famous and rich coastlines. No outbreak is under control. Strong winds and low humidity are worsening conditions and facilitating the speed with which the fire front advances. The Los Angeles County Fire Department issued an evacuation order in east Malibu and the Serra Retreat area. The alarm concerns approximately 18 thousand people and more than eight thousand homes, some of which are villas located in enchanting places. Schools in the area were closed. Those in San Diego County were also closed in anticipation of possible power blackouts. At the moment there are more than 60 thousand users without energy.