JANE LEE
News Editor
SHANNON KELLY/Editor in Chief
As hot, gusty Santa Ana winds fanned an eerie fall night Saturday, University President Dr. Andrew K. Benton said he had a feeling a fire was looming — a hunch that proved correct.
“To tell you the truth, I was expecting it,” he said. “I woke up smelling smoke, and I knew exactly what it was.”
Just one hour later, resident advisors were being informed by their resident directors to awaken students and have them leave their rooms and head to the Tyler Campus Center as soon as possible.
“My RA came pounding on the door, then rushed into my room and said that we needed to get up because a fire was coming down the hill,” junior Michelle Howell said. “I thought we were going to die if we didn’t get out right that second.”
Howell only grabbed her cell phone and glasses as her and her roommates were out of the door in less than 30 seconds.
By 7:30 a.m., all on-campus faculty and students had been evacuated to either the Tyler Campus Center or Firestone Fieldhouse. At that time, Benton was at the Los Angeles County Fire Department control center, located on the Drescher Graduate campus, where he learned of the fire cresting Pepperdine’s campus.
Soon enough, the only thing normal about Sunday was that everything was not normal. Faces of fear were replaced with face masks, the view of the Pacific Ocean was suddenly hidden by burnt orange smoke and helicopters, and the Waves Café was transformed into a place of waiting, worried looks and worship service.
Free breakfast was offered as students called parents and sat around in pajamas anticipating any announcements as smoke began making its way into the Café.
At 8:30 a.m., students were calmed by the president’s presence when he made the first announcement about what had been tagged the Malibu Canyon Fire.
“You’re in the best place you can be,” Benton told students. “It’s going to burn around us and hopefully stay away from any buildings.”
According to Benton, a 200 to 250-foot ring of barren land surrounds and protects the campus. He assured students that when it reaches this ring, “the fire runs out of fuel and then goes around the campus — not through it.”
After hearing this announcement, the mood of students changed almost as quickly as the fire was spreading.
“It’s been pretty calm and relaxed,” said sophomore John McEwen following Benton’s update. “Everyone’s really tired and just wants to go home.”
By the time of the next announcement at 10:30 a.m., students had learned that 400 acres in Malibu had already burned. Despite rumors that the Thornton Administrative Center and RHO Parking Lot were burning, it had only been confirmed that campus damage was limited to a portion of a pool shack near the Baxter Drive swimming pool and three cars that were parked in the Theme Tower lot, among some landscape spots.
At the time of this update, students were given 45 minutes to return to their dorms to gather any belongings, including laptops, books and pillows.
At noon, faculty and students (and even dogs and cats) gathered around the TV in the Sandbar to hear a press conference by the county fire department that told the community that “we are at the mercy of the winds at the moment.”
In the next couple of hours, students could be found sleeping around hallways, while others headed to Payson Library. A couple of students even set up Xbox 360 near the bookstore and played Halo 3.
At 2:15 p.m., Benton announced it safe for students to return to their rooms.
“The students were such a mature, patient presence,” he said.
No campus structures were affected, but the same cannot be said of the Pepperdine community.
“It was just emotionally stressful,” junior Joann Lee said. “Our whole life suddenly slowed down.”
10-24-2007
