Monitoring Palisades Fire – Update #7

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The University continues to monitor the Palisades Fire, which is approximately 2.5 miles east of the Malibu campus. The fire has grown to more than 15,800 acres, but continues to pose no immediate threat to the campus. The EOC is also monitoring multiple other fires in Los Angeles County, which continue to grow but are not a threat to campus.

The National Weather Service has extended the Red Flag Warning for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties until Friday at 4 PM with predicted sustained Santa Ana winds of 30-40 miles per hour (MPH) and gusts up to 60 MPH accompanied by low relative humidity.

Operations on the Malibu and Calabasas campuses will be modified for Thursday. Critical support personnel should check with their supervisors about the need to come to campus to support basic operations. All other employees should work remotely, if possible. If remote work is not possible, employees should contact their supervisors to discuss their work shift. Employees who live in the areas impacted by the fires, or have children whose schools are impacted, should work with their supervisors to adjust work schedules to attend to family or home needs. A limited number of graduate classes are in session and students should follow the guidance of their faculty and/or dean’s offices. 

Natural gas remains out in areas of Malibu and on the Malibu campus, with no estimated time for return to normal service. Additionally, gas stations in Malibu are without power, making them unable to fill cars with gas until power is restored. As community members travel, it is highly recommended to be aware that the closest operational gas stations may be through Kanan along the 101 freeway.

Student Support 
The University stands ready to support students who have been impacted by the fire. Students who have lost their off-campus housing and would like to arrange for on-campus housing for the spring semester may contact Housing. Those who have short-term housing or other needs due to fire-related losses may contact the Student Care Team for assistance, which will coordinate support from the University. We are grateful for the generous donors who help us meet needs like these through the  Pepperdine Strong Fund.

The Student Health Center and Counseling Center remain open to care for students.  Additionally, medical and mental health support are available through the TimelyCare app.   

Faculty and Staff Support
The University also stands ready to support faculty and staff who have been impacted by the fire. Faculty and staff should contact Human Resources, which will coordinate support from the University through resources such as the Pepperdine Strong Fund.

Road Closures
Road closures remain fluid and as currently reported, include: 

  • PCH is closed southbound at Malibu Canyon Road and northbound at the McClure Tunnel
  • Malibu Canyon Road is closed between PCH and Piuma
  • Topanga Canyon remains closed to all except residents

The EOC plans to distribute the next update around Noon Thursday, unless the situation requires another update to the community.

This entry was posted in Calabasas, Malibu.