Malibu resident stops Franklin Fire from burning his home and helps neighbors save their houses
By Julie Sharp
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MALIBU (KCAL, KCBS) — Malibu resident Alec Gellis says he woke up late Monday night to flames converging on his neighborhood as the Franklin Fire erupted over Malibu. He describes how he used his own resources to stop the fire from burning his house, and neighboring homes.
“I was laying in bed, I hear screaming, I hear honking, and then I go outside and the sky is red,” Gellis said. “And I drive around the corner and the whole mountain is on fire.”
The massive fire was first reported a little after 10:45 p.m. Monday near South Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary just south of the Piuma area, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The Serra Retreat, Pepperdine University and Malibu City Hall were among some of the structures under the threat of devastation as the fire raged overnight.
What started as a 5-acre brush fire grew quickly as Santa Ana winds and low humidity fueled the blaze. Tuesday afternoon, the Franklin Fire remains zero contained and has spread to just over 2,700 acres.
Gellis shared cell phone video he shot from his house on Mariposa De Oro Street, where loud crackling can be heard in the background as bright red hues light the skyline. He said three homes, that he knows of, in the Serra Retreat neighborhood burned.
Using his own hose and water pump and water from his pool, he and a friend not only saved his house, but two other homes nearby. Gellis also said they saved a 100-year-old tortoise.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Tuesday that approximately 18,000 people and 8,100 structures are in the affected area. Of the 8,100 structures, 2,043 are under evacuation orders and 6,046 are under evacuation warnings.
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