For the past week, firefighters have been battling a devastating blaze in southern California. Let’s pray for those affected! 

From USA TODAY. Firefighters began to contain a fast-growing wildfire on Wednesday that set star-studded Malibu in Southern California ablaze, destroying several structures and sending thousands of residents fleeing.

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Have you taken your place on the wall?

After its size increased 39% overnight, the Franklin Fire’s expansion stalled on Wednesday as weather conditions improved, according to Cal Fire Incident Commander Dusty Martin. By Wednesday night, the blaze scorched just over 4,000 acres with 7% containment.

The fire was discovered Monday, just before 11 p.m. local time, and was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity, prompting red flag warnings in the region. Red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service in Los Angeles ended Wednesday afternoon as winds dropped off. But the agency warned that elevated to brief critical conditions would linger into Thursday for breezy areas, such as southwest Santa Barbara County and the San Gabriel Mountains. …

In an incident update Wednesday night, Cal Fire said firefighters were making “steady progress” as relative humidity was expected to increase overnight while weak northeasterly winds were forecast to continue into the evening.

Nearly 2,000 fire personnel have been assigned to the incident, according to Martin. Firefighters faced several challenges in the Malibu Canyon area, where the terrain is “extremely steep and unaccessible,” Martin said. He noted that it will likely take a “number of days” to contain the fire due to the terrain.

The flames threatened big-name celebrities’ homes including Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke, and were encroaching on an RV park community, officials said. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said the fire was also “spotted” across the iconic Pacific Coast Highway. …

No deaths or injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

Pepperdine University safe after students could see flames

At Pepperdine University, the campus was starting to stabilize after two separate shelter-in-place alerts on Tuesday were lifted by Wednesday morning, Michael Friel, a university spokesman, told USA TODAY.

Friel said Wednesday there had been no injuries and little-to-no damage to structures on campus due to the fire. The last time the school took such measures was during the Woolsey Fire in 2018.  …

Power was restored to the Malibu campus Wednesday morning after the campus lost power late Monday. Some buildings at the school had continued to operate on generator power, including the student center and library where university officials advised students on campus to shelter in place. …

Smoke prompts air quality alert for areas around Los Angeles

Harmful amounts of fine particles caused by smoke filled the air Wednesday as the Franklin Fire raged.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued an air quality alert through 5 p.m. on Wednesday for Malibu, Northwest coastal Los Angeles County, parts of the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica, downtown Los Angeles, and other nearby areas. …

How many homes have burned?

Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone initially reported that seven structures were destroyed and nine were damaged. In an update Wednesday evening, Deputy Fire Chief Albert Yanagisawa said the fire had destroyed nine structures and damaged six structures.

Yanagisawa said damage inspection teams have completed about 25% of the inspection area. Marrone previously said Tuesday that the number of homes impacted so far was minimized thanks to the work of firefighters. …

Thousands of people impacted by fire, data shows

Jennifer Seetoo, captain of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, said Wednesday night that several road closures remain in effect across the region, including parts of the Pacific Coast Highway. Seetoo noted that about 20,000 people are under evacuation orders and warnings.

So far, about 6,300 people have evacuated from their homes, according to Martin.

The latest data from Cal Fire revealed that more than 1,400 households in the area were impacted by the fire. …

Share your prayers for Southern California in the comments.

(Excerpt from USA TODAY. Photo Credit: Issy Bailey on Unsplash)