UCLA experts on Malibu’s Franklin Fire

Warnings of severe fire risk from high-speed Santa Ana winds switched from risk to reality in Southern California as the Franklin Fire ignited in Malibu late Monday night. Thousands have been evacuated, and at last count the fire had consumed more than 2,500 acres.

UCLA experts on wildfires, climate change, Santa Ana winds and wildfire smoke are available to add context to the Franklin Fire. UCLA climate scientist Alex Hall, director of UCLA's Center for Climate Science, can explain how climate change ramps up both the Santa Ana winds and the risks they pose:

• "The hot and extremely dry wind conditions that are driving the Franklin Fire are similar to what we saw just a few weeks ago with the destructive Mountain Fire in Santa Barbara. It's a sobering reminder that we must learn to live with wildfire, especially as the fires become larger and more intense with a changing climate."

• "Southern California had a couple of wet years in a row, and that means a buildup of fuels in wildlands. The current wet season has been very dry so far. The sequence of very wet followed by dry conditions sets the stage for big wildfires."

• "The speed with which the Franklin Fire ballooned overnight, driven by these very strong Santa Ana winds and extraordinarily dry chaparral vegetation, is especially alarming given its proximity to major population centers. The impact on people's lives and livelihoods underscores the urgency of our work."

• "At UCLA, we aim to produce solutions-oriented research that can help policymakers protect our communities and our environment in the face of a changing climate, and changing wildfire risk. The solutions include strategies to reduce ignitions, improve stewardship of our unique chaparral landscapes to reduce impacts, and make more accurate predictions of wildfire behavior and risk."

Media are encouraged to quote from Hall's comments, or to reach out to check availability for Hall and others for interviews. Hall is faculty director of UCLA's Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, which launched the Climate Wildfire Research Initiative in 2023. The CWRI's recent workshops examined the future of vegetation and wildfire in Southern California and wildfire-related air quality and health impacts.