The fire covered 4.5 miles early Wednesday, covering the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area in the east and stretching to central Malibu and large beachside properties.
There were more than 1,500 firefighters and multiple agencies tackling the blaze Tuesday night.
Cpt. Jennifer Seetoo of Los Angeles County Sheriffs told a news conference Tuesday night: “Fire can be extremely unpredictable and we highly encourage residents in the fire areas to be prepared, have a plan and heed our evacuation warnings and orders.”
She added that deputies would be available to patrol areas where homes, some owned by famous and wealthy residents, had been evacuated. “We will not tolerate anyone coming to this community to re-victimize our community members,” she said.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries, but more than 8,000 properties are in the affected areas and at least seven have been destroyed.
The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation.
Local photographer Tim Horton, who lives on the Pepperdine campus, posted images of a Chinook helicopter picking up water from a lake and dropping it on the fire, pine trees on fire, and flames coming within a few feet of his apartment.
Michael Friel, director of communications at the college, said the sheltering students had food, water and power to charge their phones.
Power outages were affecting more than 45,000 energy customers in the region, according to PowerOutage.us, but some Pepperdine buildings are powered by generators.
Pepperdine said in a social media post early Wednesday that fire activity surrounding the college had “greatly diminished as the Franklin Fire has burned through most of the fuel immediately surrounding campus.”
Some 12 million people were covered by red flag warnings on Tuesday, as strong Santa Ana winds of more than 60 mph and dry undergrowth created the perfect conditions for fire to start and move quickly.
