Photo: DAVID SWANSON / AFP / Getty Images
MALIBU (CNS) - Three schools shut down by the Franklin Fire in Malibu are reopening Monday and a fourth remains closed for repairs as containment of the 4,037-acre brushfire has grown to 54%, authorities said.
Students return to Malibu Elementary School, Malibu Middle School and Malibu High School Monday and students from Webster Elementary School will go to Malibu Elementary starting Tuesday.
All Malibu schools within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were closed through Friday due to traffic restrictions and power outages in the area.
The Santa Monica College Malibu Campus was also closed through Friday.
"Fire activity remained minimal with smoldering and creeping in isolated areas within the fire perimeter," Cal Fire said in a statement shortly before 6 a.m. Monday in which it was reported that the containment had increased to 54%.
"Fire crews will continue to build and strengthen containment lines around the fire," the Cal Fire statement said. "The fire continues to smolder in steep and very dangerous terrain. Aerial suppression efforts in those areas have been successful in keeping the fire subdued."
Firefighters have made steady progress on the destructive wildfire that erupted Dec. 9, helped by cool weather, higher humidity and the absence of strong winds that initially fueled the blaze. But optimism was tempered during a virtual community meeting Saturday night by concern about periods of 20 to 30 mph offshore winds forecast for Monday. A moderate Santa Ana wind event was also forecast for Tuesday through Thursday with wind gusts from the north- northeast of 30 to 50 mph and lower humidity.
Four water-dropping helicopters have been assigned to the firefighting effort to douse hot spots in areas of Malibu Canyon too steep for people to work, officials said.
Teams have completed the damage inspections, and reported 20 structures destroyed and 28 structures damaged, according to Cal Fire.
At 8 p.m. Sunday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced that all road closures and restrictions were lifted. The public was advised to check for intermittent closures while the restoration work continued.
At the height of the fire, roughly 20,000 people were under either evacuation orders or warnings.
The blaze began shortly before 11 p.m. Monday in a Malibu Canyon area where a high volume of dry brush contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze. It erupted in the midst of a rare "particularly dangerous situation red flag warning" issued by the National Weather Service in response to strong wind gusts and dramatically dry conditions. The cause was still under investigation.
City officials also said Saturday that all Malibu parks were open, except Malibu Bluffs Park, Temporary Skate Park and Pool.
The Los Angeles chapter of the Red Cross closed its shelter at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District building at 2802 Fourth St., but officials said residents affected by the fire can still receive assistance by calling 1-800-675-5799.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger signed a local declaration of emergency in response to the fire early Tuesday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist with the firefight.
"Fire officials and first responders are working relentlessly to protect lives and property from the Franklin Fire," Newsom said in a statement. "California is grateful for this federal support, which bolsters these efforts."