Passing through the secure gates of Malibu’s Serra Retreat area lies a small collection of luxury homes, many of which are gated or walled.
The area is home to celebrities such as Patrick Dempsey and Mel Gibson.
The Franklin Fire spread into the area, but the extent of the damage remains unclear. One house with a swimming pool was nearly demolished; another was little more than a chimney and a pile of smoldering rubble.
Residents said some cars were also damaged and some animals died in the fire.
Alec Gellis, 31, who inspected homes on an e-bike, said he and his friend Abel Rodgers, 33, stayed behind to save their home and protect their neighbors’ homes.
Gallis said he was resting in his room around 11 p.m. when he heard someone screaming and honking the horn. He said he went outside to see what was going on.
“I smelled smoke,” he said. “The sky was red and the whole other side of the canyon was lit up. … We were surrounded by flames.
“There’s fire almost everywhere you look,” he said.
He and Rogers sprang into action, grabbing a hose connected to a machine that pumped water from the pool and began soaking everything.
“The bushes, the surrounding area, everything was soaked,” Gillis said. “Monsoon style.”
He said he went into his neighbor’s yard and helped put out the fire. He said firefighters responded quickly, but they were also busy extinguishing the blaze.
Gillis and Rogers said they spent five hours extinguishing the flames and repeatedly soaking anything that might catch fire.
Gillis said embers flew everywhere. He wears glasses to protect his eyes.
This was the second time he had to stay in a fire. He said the first time was during the Woolsey Fire. That fire in 2018 was also a windswept inferno. It destroyed 1,600 buildings from Westlake Village to Malibu.
The Franklin Fire was reported on Malibu Canyon Road in the mountains north of Pepperdine University minutes before 11 p.m. Monday. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire spread rapidly and by Tuesday afternoon had grown to more than 2,700 acres without containment.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marone said at a news conference Tuesday morning that a “minimal number” of homes were destroyed, but he did not have an exact number of damaged structures. He urged residents to limit the use of lawn sprinklers to maintain water pressure for firefighters.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
