Over 4,000 acres in Malibu, California, were consumed by the Franklin Fire, leading to significant structural damage and evacuations.
The fire, fueled by Santa Ana winds, spread quickly and was captured in satellite imagery showing severe vegetation damage. Containment efforts were effective, with the fire 89% contained by December 18.
Franklin Fire Disaster
The Franklin Fire scorched over 4,000 acres (16 square kilometers) in Malibu, California, destroying buildings and forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.
The fire ignited on the evening of December 9, 2024, in Malibu Creek State Park. Driven by strong Santa Ana winds, it rapidly expanded to 2,600 acres (11 square kilometers) within a day, spreading as far as the Pepperdine University campus. On December 10, Cal Fire reported that the blaze tripled in size within just one hour.
Satellite Imagery and Damage Assessment
The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 and the OLI-2 on Landsat 9 captured these false-color images before and after the inferno ignited. The images combine shortwave infrared, near infrared, and visible light (OLI bands 6-5-4), components of the electromagnetic spectrum that make it easier to identify unburned vegetation (green) and recently burned landscape (dark brown). Charred vegetation was visible on December 13 (right image), when the fire was about 30 percent contained.
Efforts to Contain the Wildfire
To help slow the fire’s spread, Cal Fire dropped water and red fire retardant from aircraft. A red line of fire retardant is visible along the perimeter of burned vegetation in the natural-color image above, acquired on December 13.
As of December 18, the fire was 89 percent contained and had not seen growth for several days, allowing officials to lift evacuation orders.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
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