A significant brush fire ignited in Malibu, prompting the L.A. County Fire Department to issue a third alarm and mandatory evacuation orders. (Video Courtesy: RMG News)
MALIBU, Calif. – A raging wildfire threatened Pepperdine University on Tuesday morning, forcing students to shelter in place as flames charged past the campus.
Students and faculty took shelter at the Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center as the rapidly expanding Franklin Fire was visible from the Malibu campus.
FRANKLIN FIRE PUTS PEPPERDINE STUDENTS ON ALERT AS WILDFIRE CHARGES PAST CAMPUS: ‘PANIC AT FIRST’
A raging wildfire is threatening Pepperdine University, forcing students to shelter in place as flames approach the campus early Tuesday morning.
(Matthew Morrison)
Student Gaby Salgado was among the dozens of students sheltering in place at the library for nearly four hours and described the harrowing experience to FOX 11 in Los Angeles.
“Very stressful seeing flames outside … we were so scared,” she said. “Power is out … the wind was so strong. I knew it was dangerous.”
A video shared from California shows students sheltering inside a library at Pepperdine University as the Franklin Fire can be seen raging outside a window.
By 7:30 a.m. local time, Pepperdine administrators lifted their shelter-in-place protocol after assessing campus conditions at daybreak.
“Campus conditions are safe for members of the community to return to student residences and on-campus homes, the university said. “The community is strongly encouraged to remain on campus and stay off Malibu roads as first responders continue to respond to the Franklin Fire, which continues to threaten Malibu.”
University officials have suspended normal operations on the Malibu campus for the day, postponing final exams that were scheduled.
Power remains out for much of the campus and Malibu area. A Fire Weather Warning continues, and gusty winds persist. If conditions worsen, campus officials said they may have to reinstitute their shelter-in-place protocols.
The strong, dangerous and long-duration Santa Ana winds are ramping up across Southern California, especially in areas such as Ventura County’s coast, the western San Fernando Valley and the western Santa Monica Mountains, where High Wind Warnings are already in place.
The FOX Forecast Center said the fire event has the potential to be as strong as the Nov. 5-6 Santa Ana event that led to the Mountain Fire.
A dramatic video recorded in California shows a massive wildfire named the Franklin Fire burning in Malibu.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” (PDS) Fire Weather Warning. These high-end warnings don’t come often, with fewer than one issued per year.
[og_img
2024-12-10 11:38:22