More than 1,500 firefighters were working on the wind-driven fire as red flag warning conditions persist into Wednesday evening.

By Daniel Cole MALIBU, California (Reuters) -Aided by favorable winds and weather, firefighters on Wednesday progressed in containing a wildfire in the beach community of Malibu, California, where 6,300 people evacuated their homes as schools and businesses shut their doors.

Improving weather conditions in Southern California on Wednesday raised officials’ hopes that firefighters could rein in the Franklin Fire, which forced evacuation orders or warnings for 20,000 residents in the Malibu area,