The students and staff of Pepperdine University are fighting for their safety in a shelter as the Malibu fire, aka the Franklin fire, burns a few meters away. The university in Los Angeles County, California, is continuously being impacted by the fire. While the entire area was advised to evacuate, the university activated its shelter-in-place protocol.
The National Weather Service has been issuing warnings about fire due to dry air for about a week, and things got pretty intense around Malibu. The fire began on Monday after 10:50 pm and spread quickly.
Pepperdine University activated shelter-in-place on early Tuesday morning and has remained in effect ever since. The LA County Fire Department has approved their protocol, and they will take refuge at the Tyler Campus Center or the Payson Library.
Pepperdine University's update on X (formerly Twitter) about the protocol read,
"The University is now activating its shelter-in-place protocol. All community members on the Malibu campus are directed to shelter in place in the Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library."
"Despite any evacuation orders from Malibu city or surrounding areas, the University community should follow University instructions. We do not evacuate the campus even when surrounding areas might - this shelter-in-place protocol is approved by LA County Fire and executed with their cooperation," it added.
Some horrifying visuals from the library are also making rounds on social media. In one of the clips, flames could be seen hitting a glass wall of the library. In the reflection, the campus members could be seen wearing masks due to the smoke.
Amid the fire, the university also had to postpone exams that were scheduled before the break for the holiday season.
In another post, the university penned how they understand the "worst of the fire" has pushed past it, but there are several spot fires on campus that cannot harm life or structures. The campus also has fire resources that are addressing these fires.
"Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight."
What is the current condition of Pepperdine University amid the Malibu fire?
In their latest update on X, Pepperdine University confirmed that most of the fire around it has been diminished. Moreover, there is not much damage caused by the fire to the campus' structures.
"Fire activity around Pepperdine’s Malibu campus has greatly diminished as the Franklin Fire has burned through most of the fuel immediately surrounding campus, but some flames are still visible in small pockets of campus."
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While firefighters are continuously working to protect civilians and keep the flames away, EOC is monitoring the campus. However, the shelter-in-place will remain in effect overnight, and when it can be lifted, it will be confirmed in the morning.
According to Fox News, no injuries or deaths due to the Franklin fire have been reported yet.
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