Large wildfire in Southern California scorches nearly 4,000 acres

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The large wildfire in Malibu in Southern California continues to burn Wednesday and it has reached nearly 4,000 acres, according to the city authorities of Malibu.

The fire, codenamed Franklin Fire, started Monday night near the Malibu Creek State Park in Los Angeles County.

The fire grew an additional 600 acres Wednesday morning. There are over 1,500 firefighters assigned to the incident, said city officials.

There were approximately 18,000 people and 8,100 homes and businesses under evacuation orders or warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Tuesday. There are several shelters for displaced residents.

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until Thursday afternoon, according to the city of Malibu. Currently the fire is 7 percent contained.