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Evacuation orders sent thousands of people scrambling as the Franklin Fire burned through Malibu and surrounding areas.
But for students and staff at Pepperdine University, where flames and smoke were clearly visible, the best course of action was to shelter in place rather than flee, school officials said.
So what makes Pepperdine a safe place?
According to school officials, even though the city of Malibu and other nearby areas are being evacuated, “we will not evacuate our campus even if the surrounding community may be evacuated. This shelter-in-place protocol is approved by and is being carried out in cooperation with the LA County Fire Department.
Live updates: Malibu’s Franklin Fire explodes to 2,600 acres
Instead of evacuating, everyone at the school will be sent to the Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library, located near the center of campus. These were pre-set up as evacuation points for others to use when evacuating.
School spokesperson Michael Friel told KTLA that these buildings are “the safest part of campus.”
“Thankfully, the campus is well protected and designed to withstand situations like this,” he added.
Regular school operations were canceled Tuesday due to the fire.
Friel said no injuries were reported.
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