Campus Alert Archive
SSU

Second Fire in Two Years: Sonoma State Shutters Campus Again as Kincade Fire Bears Down

CAwildfireemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 26, 2019, exactly two years and two weeks after the 2017 Tubbs Fire devastated the region, Sonoma State University closed its Rohnert Park campus and urged students to leave as the Kincade Fire drove the largest evacuation in Sonoma County history. The Kincade Fire ignited at 9:24 PM PDT on October 23 northeast of Geyserville and ultimately forced roughly 190,000 people to evacuate. Sonoma State canceled classes, closed dining halls, and locked residence halls from October 26 through November 2 due to the combined threat of fire, smoke, and PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs; residence halls reopened at noon on Saturday, November 2, and classes resumed Monday, November 4. While 24 dorm rooms were burglarized during the evacuation, the campus suffered no fire damage.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Sonoma State University
Public Masters · CA
~9,000 studentsSonoma State Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction395 chars
Sonoma State University Alert: Due to the rapidly expanding Kincade Fire and forecasted high winds, the university is closing campus effective immediately. All classes and university business are suspended until further notice. Residential students are strongly encouraged to leave campus and find alternative housing. Students who cannot leave should report to the Student Center with a go-bag.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Issued as evacuation orders expanded westward from Geyserville and Healdsburg toward Windsor, roughly 12 miles north of campus
The 'go-bag' language echoes lessons from the 2017 Tubbs Fire response when SSU President Judy Sakaki lost her own home
Unlike 2017 — when the Student Center became an overnight evacuation shelter — the 2019 closure pushed students off campus entirely because the water-pumping system was vulnerable to PSPS outages
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction305 chars
SSU Update: Campus remains closed. PG&E has implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff affecting Rohnert Park. The university's fire-suppression water pumps depend on grid power and have limited capacity. Do not return to campus. Residence halls are locked. Continue to monitor news.sonoma.edu for updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

References the specific vulnerability — water-pump dependence on grid power — that made campus uninhabitable during a PSPS
The Kincade Fire on this date had grown to over 30,000 acres with red flag warnings forecasting 80+ mph winds
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction347 chars
Sonoma State University: Residence halls will reopen at noon on Saturday, November 2. Classes, the library, and regular business operations will resume as planned on Monday, November 4. Air quality remains a concern; sensitive individuals should limit outdoor activity. Counseling and student services are available for those affected by the fire.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reopening came before the Kincade Fire was fully contained (containment was not reached until November 6, 2019)
When students returned beginning Saturday, November 2, 24 dorm rooms were discovered burglarized; three students — all 18-year-olds — had already been arrested October 29 while driving off campus
Most burglaries occurred at Sauvignon Village; four were in three freshman residence halls
Context

Background

Sonoma State University sits in Rohnert Park, about 15 miles south of the Kincade Fire's ignition point northeast of Geyserville. The 2019 closure followed an institutional learning curve from the October 2017 Tubbs Fire, when SSU's then-new president Judy K. Sakaki lost her Fountaingrove home and the university operated the Student Center as an overnight shelter. For the 2019 Kincade event, SSU instead pushed students off campus entirely because the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff disabled the campus's electric water-pumping system, leaving fire-suppression capacity compromised. The Kincade Fire ultimately burned 77,758 acres and triggered the largest evacuation in Sonoma County history, eventually displacing nearly 190,000 people. SSU later refunded housing and meal-plan charges for the closure period. The university's response was studied as a case study in higher-ed wildfire continuity planning.
Analysis

Key Findings

The PSPS-water-pump vulnerability is a uniquely Northern California campus risk — fire suppression depends on grid-powered water pressure
Sonoma State's 2019 response represents an institutional 'lesson learned' from 2017: clear the campus rather than shelter in place
Multi-day off-campus displacement of 3,000+ residential students created cascading problems including the dorm burglary spree
Outcome
Campus closed October 26 through November 2. Approximately 3,000 residential students displaced. 24 dorm rooms burglarized during evacuation (three students — Daryl Livington Reems, Jose Ricardo Rubio, and Lamont Bryan Paxton, all 18 — were arrested October 29 as they were driving away from campus). No fire damage to campus structures. Residence halls reopened at noon Saturday, November 2. Classes and regular business operations resumed Monday, November 4.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    California fires and power outages close campuses
    insidehighered.com
  2. national media
    Campuses evacuated, classes canceled as wildfires rage in California
    washingtonpost.com
  3. Source
    24 Sonoma State University Dorm Rooms Burglarized during Kincade Wildfire
    campussafetymagazine.com
  4. Official
    Kincade Fire — CAL FIRE
    fire.ca.gov
  5. Official
    Sonoma State's Response to the Fires — SSU News
    news.sonoma.edu
  6. Student Paper
    Learning from the past: Sonoma State's evacuation shelter — Sonoma State Star
    sonomastatestar.squarespace.com
Tags
wildfirekincade-fireevacuationpspscaliforniacsusonoma-statecampus-closureburglary
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion