Students crowded into Pepperdine University’s library watched through windows as flames rose to the top of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Some students prayed. Some called their parents as winds blew embers across the campus, igniting palm trees and orange flames moving closer and closer to buildings.
Some wondered aloud whether not leaving campus when they were told to stay away from windows had been a fateful mistake.
Matthew Morrison, an 18-year-old theater major who witnessed the fire from the first floor of the library, said, “It was terrifying.” “The fire was so intense it felt like it was slamming against the windows.”
As the Franklin Fire raged across Malibu early Tuesday morning, Pepperdine University officials advised students and faculty to remain inside the university’s fire-resistant buildings on campus, even if they were in the middle of Malibu’s fire evacuation zone. I called out.
University officials followed an established plan. Pepperdine’s policy has been in place since 1993 to evacuate students to fire-resistant structures when wildfires threaten Malibu. The university notes that its shelter-in-place policy is supported by the LAS and is reviewed annually. Angeles County Fire Department. The university said in an emergency FAQ that no campus buildings were lost to the wildfires.
On Monday night, the Christian campus, located between the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, was preparing for finals when the power went out just after 11 p.m. Campus officials issued an alert and urged students to leave their dorms and head to the university’s fireproof buildings.
“All community members on the Malibu campus are directed to shelter in place at the Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library,” Pepperdine shared on X at 1:09 a.m. Tuesday.
Mr Morrison was asleep after a long day cramming for the final when his friends in the suite woke him up. “Hey, we have to go!” they shouted. “Please prepare a bag to carry!”
He threw his wallet, laptop, water, and granola bars into his duffel bag. As he made his way to the library, smoke filled the air outside the dormitory. But Prime Minister Scott Morrison was undaunted. The fire was still off campus. Most of all, he was frustrated by his lack of sleep the night before three important exams.
Some students left campus. But Mr Morrison said he felt it was more dangerous to leave and could become trapped on the narrow road.
“I understand that people who left at 11pm or midnight wanted to leave,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. “But beyond that, the fire was so close that it wasn’t worth leaving and risking being stuck in traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway with the fire all around us.”
Pepperdine staff handed out masks to students to protect themselves from the smoke. Fire engines descended on the campus to extinguish the fire. And as the fire approached, some people looking out the library windows became upset.
A video posted to Pepperdine Graphic Media showed students walking around campus buildings as flames pounded trees outside. Some students on campus questioned the university’s policy.
“Don’t go home,” a voice can be heard pleading with the clearly upset students discussing their options in the video.
“Just watching the flames grow, that bright red color getting brighter and brighter, it was very scary,” Gabriel Salgado, a fourth-year journalism major, told KABC-TV.
“A lot of people were asking, ‘Why are we here?'” said Henry Adams, a Pepperdine Graphics student and journalist who was following the news from off campus. Adams said some students may not have understood why Pepperdine instituted the shelter-in-place policy.
“Maybe that’s a more effective way to get the message across,” Adams said. “That way, students can understand that… there is a reason why we have this protocol.”
Pepperdine instituted a stay-in-place policy after students were evacuated from dormitories during the 1985 Piuma fire. Rather than hastily evacuating thousands of people from Malibu’s narrow streets, authorities decided it would be safer to build fireproof buildings. Buildings on the 830-acre campus are now being constructed using fire-resistant materials whenever possible, and brush has been cleared at least 200 feet from buildings.
Over the past 30 years, Pepperdine students have been evacuated from fire after fire, from Old Topanga in 1993 to Woolsey in 2018. That was the school’s policy during the latter inferno, when 1,600 structures were destroyed from Westlake Village to Malibu. Questioned and criticized. Some students expressed concerns about remaining on campus. Meanwhile, some area residents complained that the university’s shelter-in-place policy meant firefighting resources were being diverted from other parts of Malibu.
By about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, the worst of the Franklin Fire had passed over the Malibu campus, the school said. The university said a small ignition continued to burn, but there was no threat to buildings or life.
Around 7:30 a.m., officials lifted shelter-in-place protocols and encouraged students to return to their dorms. Officials urged students and staff to remain on campus as the spot fire continues to burn.
Classes were canceled on Tuesday and final exams were postponed. University officials said in a news release that they are actively monitoring the situation on and around campus, but there has been little damage to campus structures and no reports of injuries to students, faculty or staff. .
“The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff continues to be our top priority, and we remain committed to supporting them,” Pepperdine President Jim Gash said in a statement. “As we navigate these challenges, we will remain grounded in our faith, relying on each other, and with God’s help to serve our Malibu community.”
Late Tuesday afternoon, as power outages continued, the university announced on
After walking across the campus on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the normally leafy campus was burnt black and brown and many palm trees had fallen. Most students were shocked and worried about when they would take their final exams.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was scheduled to sit three exams on Tuesday – religion, acting and scenic design – but was unable to do so on Wednesday as he was due to return to Texas for the holidays.
“I think I’m still in shock,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said after his morning nap.
“When I went to bed and tried to sleep, everything came to mind right away,” he said. “Last night was one of those moments. I didn’t know if I would ever see my family again.”
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