Photos courtesy of Roxana Astemborski (Art Editor), Kelly Sayre, Thor Anderson, Sabrina Jones & Chris Segal (Director of Strategic Planning)
JANE LEE & SAMANTHA BLONS
News Editor & Assistant News Editor
Classes remain closed today, more than 24 hours after a broken power line likely sparked Malibu’s Canyon Fire that forced students to evacuate their dorm rooms yesterday. Students are back in their residence halls, but are on alert for another possible departure to the Café and Fieldhouse should gusty Santa Ana winds shift and redirect the fire back toward campus. The Los Angeles County Fire Department says the blaze that has charred more than 2200 acres remains at ten percent containment.
The fire that surrounded parts of the Malibu campus Sunday morning has retreated from the immediate area, but “there’s a chance the wind direction might change,” returning a threat to Pepperdine, said Inspector Ron Haralson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
University officials say members of the on-campus community are not supposed to leave Pepperdine, and both Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road remain closed at this time.
Senior Amanda Lewis, a resident assistant in Lovernich Apartments, said she has not received any official university announcements since Sunday at 2:55 p.m., when students were allowed to leave their evacuation areas at Firestone Fieldhouse and the Tyler Campus Center to return to their dorms. However, a resident director told her to be prepared in case a second evacuation is necessary.
Updated at 9:07 a.m.
10-22-2007