Malibu wildfire prompts evacuation orders and warnings for 20,000, including Dick Van Dyke and Cher

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Weather conditions were forecast to improve in Southern California, aiding firefighters in their battle against a wind-driven wildfire that has forced up to 20,000 people, including Cher, Dick Van Dyke and his wife, from their homes in Malibu.

With much of the coastal city under evacuation orders and warnings, residents waited anxiously to see whether their properties had been spared by the fire, which erupted late Monday and grew to more than 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) by Wednesday morning.