Southern California forecast of cool temps, calm winds to help firefighters battle Malibu blaze

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Cooler temperatures, calmer winds and a chance of rainfall in Southern California this week are forecast to help firefighters as they battle a wind-driven blaze in steep, rugged terrain that's driven thousands, including celebrities, from their homes in Malibu.

The weather improved so much Wednesday that meteorologists said all red flag warnings, which indicate conditions for high fire danger and the notorious Santa Ana winds, were discontinued. The conditions allowed firefighters to have “a lot of success” despite the nearly inaccessible terrain, CalFire Assistant Chief Dusty Martin said.

Still, some 20,000 residents remained under evacuation orders and warnings Wednesday evening from the blaze, dubbed the Franklin Fire, which was only 7% contained over 6 square miles (16 square kilometers).

It’s unclear how the blaze started. Officials said nine structures had been destroyed and at least six others had been damaged, though crews had only surveyed about 25% of the affected area, said Deputy Chief Albert Yanagisawa of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Much of the devastation occurred in Malibu, a community of about 10,000 people on the western edge of Los Angeles known for its stunning bluffs and Zuma Beach, which features in many Hollywood films.

Flames burned near horse farms, celebrities’ seaside mansions, and Pepperdine University, where students were forced to shelter in place on campus for a second night Tuesday.

Faculty members are determining how best to complete the semester, which ends at Pepperdine this week. Final exams were postponed or canceled, depending on the class, university spokesperson Michael Friel said. An early analysis showed little to no damage to structures on campus, the university said.

Lonnie Vidaurri’s four-bedroom home in the Malibu Knolls neighborhood is one of those destroyed. After evacuating to a hotel in Santa Monica with his wife and two young daughters, a neighbor called to tell Vidaurri that firefighters would need to break into his house.

“It’s pretty torched all around,” Vidaurri said. He expects that the family’s pet bunnies did not survive the fire, and that they lost most of their things. “My girls cried, obviously, but it could have been worse.”

Mimi Teller, a Red Cross spokesperson who worked in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, said many people arrived in their pajamas and were “definitely in shock.”

“Nobody even had a backpack, it was, ‘Get out now,’” Teller said. “One lady didn’t even have a leash for her dog, she just scooped them up.”

Shawn Smith said he was asleep early Tuesday when someone knocked on his RV at 3 a.m. to wake him up to evacuate the Malibu RV Park.

“You could see the fires rolling in, in over the canyon," he said. “It was like ‘Holy crap, this is real.'”

He returned Wednesday to find that the RV park had been saved — firefighters stopped the flames just before they entered the area.

“We got lucky,” he said.

Dick Van Dyke, one of many celebrities with homes in Malibu, said in a Facebook post that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuated as the fire swept in. And Cher evacuated from her Malibu home when ordered and is staying at a hotel, her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said Tuesday.

The fire erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Monday and swiftly moved south, jumping over the famous Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean. It was propelled by Santa Ana winds, with gusts that reached 40 mph (64 kph). Santa Anas are notorious seasonal winds that blow dry air from the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes.

Alec Gellis stayed behind Monday night to save his home in Malibu’s Serra Retreat neighborhood from the flames. He used pumps in the home’s swimming pool to help spray water over the house and surrounding vegetation, turning the lush area “into a rainforest.”

Gellis said there were flames within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of the home on all sides. “The whole canyon was completely lit up.”

Utilities preemptively shut off power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses, starting Monday night, to mitigate the impacts of the Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

As of Wednesday afternoon, electricity was still out for roughly 600 Southern California Edison customers, and the majority of those were in Los Angeles County, said utility spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas.

“We have been making significant progress,” she said.

Outages in Malibu were not included in that figure, Ornelas said. Some 3,300 customers in the Malibu area remained without power, due to safety shutoffs and for firefighter safety. Power was first shut off to most customers in Malibu on Monday evening.

The Woolsey Fire that roared through the area in 2018, killing three people and destroying 1,600 homes, was sparked by Edison equipment. Asked Wednesday if Edison equipment was involved in the Franklin Fire, Ornelas referred all questions regarding the cause to fire officials.

Weber reported from Los Angeles and Aoun reported from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles; Amy Taxin in Orange County, California; Sarah Brumfield in Washington; and Eric Thayer, Damian Dovarganes and Jaimie Ding in Malibu, California, contributed to this report.

A mountain top overlooking the Pacific Ocean is scarred after the Franklin Fire swept through Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Retardant is dropped onto the Franklin Fire Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A resident sifts through their fire-damage property after the Franklin Fire swept through, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Burned outdoor furniture is left behind on a property after the Franklin Fire swept through, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Vegetation around the Phillips Theme Tower at Pepperdine University is scorched by the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Screen writer and actress Sarah Newcome expresses her gratitude to God during sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Malibu residents Florence Johnson and her son Brian enjoy the beach before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Embers fly as the Franklin Fire burns in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters protect a structure as the Franklin Fire approaches in Malibu, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A firefighter hoses down hot spots around a fire-ravaged property after the Franklin Fire swept through Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

Students sleep on couches on the Pepperdine University campus, where a makeshift shelter was set up as the Franklin Fire closed in Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Firefighters battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A road signed is burned after the Franklin Fire swept through Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Firefighters battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A road signed is burned after the Franklin Fire swept through Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A firefighter carries a water hose while tackling the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Water is dropped onto the Franklin Fire by helicopter, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Firefighters work at a home devastated by the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Students evacuate from Pepperdine University as the Franklin Fire burns in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A firefighter works at a home devastated by the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A resident sifts through their fire-damage property after the Franklin Fire swept through, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A storm that swept up the East Coast delivered a blow to New England, packing powerful gusts that knocked out power along with a deluge of rain and warming temperatures that washed away snow and dampened ski resorts.

An atmospheric river transported moisture northward from the tropics and brought heavy rain. Utility workers were deployed to handle power outages after winds were projected to peak overnight into Thursday.

In Maine, nearly 57,000 customers had lost power as of Wednesday night, according to poweroutage.us. In Massachusetts, nearly 8,000 people were without power.

A deepening low pressure system was responsible for winds that lashed the region, said Derek Schroeter, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Forecasters were concerned about bombogenesis, or a “bomb cyclone,” marked by a rapid intensification over a 24-hour period.

“Is that what they’re calling it?” said Jen Roberts, co-owner of Onion River Outdoors sporting goods store in Montpelier, Vermont. She lamented that a five-day stretch of snowfall that lured ski customers into the store was being washed way, underscoring the region’s fickle weather. “But you know, this is New England. We know this is what happens.”

Ski resort operators called it bad luck as the holidays approach.

“We don’t say the ‘r-word’ around here. It’s a forbidden word,” said Jamie Cobbett, marketing director at Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire, which was pelted by rain on Wednesday. “We’re getting some moist wet weather today. We’ll put the mountain back together."

Skier Marcus Caston was waterlogged but shrugged it off. “The conditions are actually pretty good. The rain is making the snow nice and soft. It’s super fun,” he said while skiing at Vermont's Sugarbush.

New England wasn’t the only region experiencing wild weather. Heavy lake effect snow was expected through Thursday in parts of Michigan, along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and dangerous cold enveloped parts of the Upper Midwest.

But New England's weather brought the biggest variety, with the storm bringing a little bit of everything. It started early Wednesday with freezing rain. Then came a deluge of regular rain and warming temperatures — topping 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland, for example.

Alex Hobbs, a Boston college student, hoped that the weather wouldn't interfere with her plans to return home to San Francisco soon. "I’m a little worried about getting delays with heavy wind and rain, possibly snow,” she said Wednesday.

Associated Press writers Lisa Rathke in Waitfield, Vermont, Michael Casey in Boston, and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this story.

This Dec. 11. 2024 image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows a storm passing through the U.S. Atlantic east coast. (NOAA via AP)

Rain water from a winter storm flows through the empty parking lot near the Panorama lift at the Gunstock Mountain Resort ski area , Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Gilford, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A man walks a dog as light rain falls during a winter storm, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Ducks stand on the rain water covered ice on Adams Pond during a winter storm, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Derry, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A construction worker is bundled up in winter clothes while installing weather sheathing on a building during a rain storm, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Derry, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A jogger runs along the harbor as rain falls in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood on Wednesday Dec 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

A person walks through the rain as a storm system and possible "bomb cyclone" hit the U.S. East Coast, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A person walks through the rain as a storm system and possible "bomb cyclone" hit the U.S. East Coast, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A tractor-trailer hauling a load of oranges sits on the side of the road after sliding off the Maine Turnpike early on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in New Gloucester, Maine. (AP Photo/David Sharp)

Rain and snow falls near the Presumpscot River in Falmouth, Maine as officials are watching for flooding on New England rivers, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle)

People walk through the rain as a storm system and possible "bomb cyclone" hit the U.S. East Coast, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A tractor-trailer hauling a load of oranges sits on the side of the road after sliding off the Maine Turnpike early on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in New Gloucester, Maine. (AP Photo/David Sharp)

Passengers disembark from a ferry in a steady downpour of rain in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood on Wednesday Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

People walk through the rain as a storm system and possible "bomb cyclone" hit the U.S. East Coast, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A tractor-trailer hauling a load of oranges sits on the side of the road after sliding off the Maine Turnpike early on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in New Gloucester, Maine. (AP Photo/David Sharp)