Campus Alert Archive
Pepperdine

'We Do Not Evacuate the Campus': Pepperdine's Franklin Fire Shelter-in-Place Activated, Lifted, and Reinstated in 36 Hours

CAwildfireemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

When the Franklin Fire ignited on Malibu Canyon Road around 11 p.m. on December 9, 2024, Pepperdine activated its decades-old shelter-in-place protocol about two hours later, directing students to Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center. Unlike surrounding Malibu neighborhoods that evacuated, Pepperdine explicitly does not evacuate the campus, citing an LA County Fire-approved hardened-campus plan. The shelter-in-place was lifted at daybreak, reinstated that afternoon as conditions deteriorated, and lifted again at 6:30 a.m. on December 11.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Pepperdine University
Private R2 · CA
~9,700 studentsPepperdine Emergency Information
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence · 4 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimPepperdine University official X/Twitter post (verbatim activation message)318 chars
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.
Activated at 1:09 a.m. PST on December 10, 2024 — about two hours after the Franklin Fire was first reported around 11 p.m. PST on December 9
Names the two specific shelter buildings (Tyler Campus Center and Payson Library) — both located in the geographic center of campus, away from the chaparral-covered hillsides on the perimeter
Explicitly tells students to follow University instructions over Malibu city evacuation orders — a doctrinal statement of Pepperdine's hardened-campus model
Resident assistants went door-to-door in residence halls to wake sleeping students — a labor-intensive backup to the SMS/X push during sleeping hours
ALL CLEARSMS+6h 20m
Verified verbatimPepperdine Emergency Information Update #4 (verbatim text)205 chars
After assessing campus conditions at daybreak, the EOC is lifting the shelter-in-place protocol. Campus conditions are safe for members of the community to return to student residences and on-campus homes.
First lift came at 7:29 AM PST on December 10, 2024, approximately 6 hours after the initial activation
Names the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) as the authority — establishes a clear institutional decision-maker rather than referring to fire officials
Explicitly authorizes return to 'student residences and on-campus homes,' making clear that both undergraduate dorms and faculty/staff housing are released from the protocol
UPDATESMS
Verified verbatimPepperdine Emergency Information - Shelter in Place for Tonight (Update #7)69 chars
Students will be in a shelter location for the duration of the night.
Verbatim from Pepperdine Emergency Information Update #7, titled 'Shelter in Place for Tonight'
Reinstatement of shelter-in-place came in the late afternoon as the Franklin Fire's behavior worsened with returning Santa Ana winds
The phrase 'duration of the night' sets explicit expectations that this would be an overnight stay rather than a brief precaution
This second activation pattern — calm by morning, dangerous by afternoon — is characteristic of Santa Ana wind-driven fires that intensify with the diurnal pressure cycle
ALL CLEARSMS+1d
Verified verbatimPepperdine Emergency Information Update #11 (verbatim text)326 chars
While the Franklin Fire continues to burn in the Santa Monica mountains, active flames remain diminished on the campus, with a few spot fires, and periodic hot spots, all of which are being addressed by fire personnel. Accordingly, last night's shelter-in-place protocol for the Malibu campus community is lifted as of 6:30am.
Honest framing: acknowledges the fire is still burning, but distinguishes between the regional fire situation and the campus-specific risk
Mentions 'spot fires' and 'periodic hot spots' on campus — a level of operational candor that contradicts the impression that Pepperdine was untouched
Specifies the exact lift time (6:30 a.m.) rather than using vague language — gives a clean reference point for academic and operational planning
The longest of the four messages by a wide margin, providing the contextual framing that the shorter activation/lift messages lack
Context

Background

Pepperdine University sits on the chaparral-covered hillsides of Malibu, in one of the most fire-prone landscapes in California. The university maintains an LA County Fire-approved shelter-in-place protocol that explicitly does not evacuate students even when surrounding neighborhoods do — instead directing roughly 3,000 students into Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center, both located in the geographic center of the hardened campus. When the Franklin Fire ignited around 11 p.m. on December 9, 2024, Pepperdine activated the protocol about two hours later. RAs went door-to-door in dorms to wake sleeping students. The shelter-in-place was lifted at daybreak, reinstated that afternoon as Santa Ana winds returned, and lifted again at 6:30 a.m. on December 11. Despite flames coming close to campus and producing dramatic photos, there was no structural damage and no injuries. The Pepperdine model — a permanent, LA County Fire-coordinated shelter-in-place plan rather than ad-hoc evacuation — is unusual among American universities and reflects decades of experience with Malibu fire behavior, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, also documented in this archive.
Analysis

Key Findings

Pepperdine activates shelter-in-place rather than evacuating, an LA County Fire-approved protocol unique among California universities
The four-message arc (activate, lift, reactivate, lift again) shows how Santa Ana-driven fires require dynamic response within a 36-hour window
Resident assistants went door-to-door in dorms to wake sleeping students — a labor-intensive backup to SMS notification
The fourth message acknowledged 'spot fires and periodic hot spots' on campus, an unusually candid disclosure that other universities often suppress in all-clear messages
Outcome
No structural damage and no injuries on the Malibu campus. The Franklin Fire grew to over 4,000 acres and forced thousands of Malibu residents to evacuate. Pepperdine's shelter-in-place was activated, lifted, reinstated, and lifted again across 36 hours.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Shelter in Place Lifted (Update #4) - Pepperdine Emergency Information
    emergency.pepperdine.edu
  2. Official
    Shelter In Place Lifted Again - Update #11 (Pepperdine Emergency Information)
    emergency.pepperdine.edu
  3. Official
    University Statement: Franklin Fire Response (Pepperdine Press Room)
    pepperdine.edu
  4. News
    Why Pepperdine doesn't evacuate students, even when flames are close to campus (CNN)
    cnn.com
  5. News
    Pepperdine University lifts shelter-in-place orders as Franklin Fire continues (CBS Los Angeles)
    cbsnews.com
Tags
wildfirefranklin-fireshelter-in-placemalibucaliforniapepperdinesanta-anahardened-campusprivate-universityno-evacuation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion