MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) -- Firefighters are battling a brush fire in Malibu near Pepperdine University, prompting evacuations amid dangerous fire conditions due to strong Santa Ana winds.

The so-called Franklin Fire was reported just before 11 p.m. in the area of Malibu Canyon Road north of Pacific Coast Highway and started at just about 10 acres but has since grown to 2,200 acres.

Pepperdine canceled classes and finals for the day and there was a shelter-in-place order as flames could be seen from the campus. Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of the winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.