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Fire smoldered three miles from Pepperdine’s Malibu campus yesterday, though campus life remained largely routine throughout the day.
The fire had burned 36 acres at 5 p.m. yesterday and was not expected to burn more than a few additional acres, Pepperdine Fire Department Chief Cash Reed said.
The blaze was discovered around 5 a.m. on Wednesday near Latigo Canyon, according to the City of Malibu’s official Web site.
More than 200 firefighters were deployed to the affected area, southeast of Castro Peak and east of Latigo Canyon.
Pepperdine’s Fire Department deployed equipment to the fire, but Pepperdine’s firefighters were not sent to battle the flames.
“We protect Pepperdine,” Reed said. “We’re here to support Pepperdine University itself.”
Firefighters with the Pepperdine department were on standby Wednesday. Pepperdine is the official staging ground for fighting wildfires locally.
According to Reed, the fire was approximately 50 percent contained at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, and did not pose a threat to any nearby buildings.
Reed said the blaze was a typical brushfire and was easily contained.
Because many firefighters were ready to extinguish the fire, and because so much equipment was available, the fire was quickly under control, Reed said.
Voluntary evacuations were issued for residents of the Kanan-Latigo area, and L.A. County Animal Care and Control made plans to move large animals from the threatened area if necessary.
The brushfire may have been caused by a vehicle fire, according to the City of Malibu’s Web site.
Latigo Canyon Road was closed from Pacific Coast Highway to Kanan Dume Road for several hours, and Malibu’s public schools were closed for the day.
While Pepperdine did not close, e-mails from the Public Relations office informed students of the fire and that Pepperdine was closely monitoring the situation.
Two ARTSReach performances of Dance in Flight, scheduled for Wednesday, were cancelled, however.
Many students were not aware of the fire, despite notification via e-mail.
“I didn’t realize there was a fire until I was on my way off campus,” senior Dana Smith said.
Dana Smith, a student teacher who works in Oxnard, said she had to check whether roads were open before she left for work.
Junior Jackie Smith said she was unaware of the fire as it burned near the Malibu campus, and felt the university could have more effectively informed the student body.
“I didn’t even know there was a fire, I wasn’t informed about it, I just haven’t checked PepXpress,” Jackie Smith said. “I think that they could do more to notify students. I haven’t been able to check PepXpress, there are a lot of students who can’t check their e-mails at all times, so maybe make an announcement or put it on the TV station. I’m sure if it had been dangerous, they would have taken different measures to notify people.”
For further information on the fire and road closures, students may visit the City of Malibu’s Web site at http://ci.Malibu.ca.us/ or call ext. 7623 (ROAD).
Submitted 02-09-2006
MALIBU, CA
