On Monday evening, the “Franklin Fire” forest fire broke out in celebrity-dense Malibu, California.
Now the fire has tripled in size in just one hour.
Thousands of residents in the affected areas have been ordered to evacuate, reports say CNN.
The fire, which broke out in Southern California, has led to the issuance of a red alert. It is a signal for a “particularly dangerous situation”.
By midnight local time, the fire had spread from 100 hectares to over 1,800 hectares in less than four hours. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire had nearly tripled in size in just one hour.
“The fire is so intense that it is affecting local winds,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned Tuesday morning, according to CNN.
Now the authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation order that affects approximately 6,000 inhabitants. There is no information yet on personal injuries, but over 57,000 households are without power.
The fire has reached areas near Pepperdine University, where classes have been canceled. Students and staff have been evacuated to protected areas, including the university library.
Strong winds make extinguishing work more difficult
Strong winds and low humidity worsen conditions. The winds are reported to reach speeds of 31 meters per second, which means that the fires spread quickly and can “threaten life and property”.
According to weather forecasts, the winds are expected to subside on Tuesday afternoon, but the fire is believed to continue to spread into Wednesday.
At the moment, it is still unclear what caused the fire.