{
  "id": "2024-11-06-cal-state-channel-islands-mountain-fire",
  "slug": "cal-state-channel-islands-mountain-fire-2024-11-06",
  "institution": {
    "name": "California State University, Channel Islands",
    "shortName": "CSUCI",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "CSUCI Emergency Alert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave",
    "enrollment": 6900
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-11-06",
    "endDate": "2024-11-08",
    "type": "wildfire",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Wildfire, November 6, 2024",
    "summary": "On the morning of November 6, 2024, the [Mountain Fire ignited near Somis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Fire_(2024)) during an extreme Santa Ana wind event, eventually burning [19,904 acres and destroying hundreds of structures](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/11/6/mountain-fire) across Ventura County. While the [CSU Channel Islands campus](https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/vc-wind-and-fires-241106.htm) was not in the direct evacuation zone, the university canceled [classes for Thursday, November 7 and Friday, November 8](https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/2024-classes-canceled-mountain-fire.htm) due to severe disruptions and significant impacts on members of the campus community, many of whom were under evacuation orders.",
    "outcome": "Classes canceled Thursday Nov. 7 and Friday Nov. 8. Campus remained physically safe with no structural damage. Multiple campus community members were under VC Alert evacuation orders. The Mountain Fire ultimately burned 19,904 acres and destroyed hundreds of structures in Ventura County.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Wednesday afternoon, November 6, 2024, PST",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Dear Campus Community:\n\nWhile the CSU Channel Islands campus remains safe at this time, please note that Santa Ana winds are currently impacting various areas of Ventura County. The University Police is monitoring and keeping in close contact with the Ventura County Fire Department regarding a fire around Balcolm Canyon and Highway 118, as well as a fire in the Malibu area near Pepperdine University. Our Environmental Health & Safety team is also monitoring the air quality for our campus.\n\nDepending on where students and employees reside, please note that a VC Alert may be sent to those individuals directly regarding evacuations or power possible power outages occurring today or tomorrow.\n\nWe ask that students please communicate directly with their instructors, and employees should communicate with their supervisor if you have a need to respond to issues at your residence or have other family needs.\n\nShould the University be notified of a pending power outage, the campus has sufficient generators to supply power to main areas of the campus and will remain open for scheduled classes and activities. Similarly, if an evacuation is necessary, additional notifications will be provided to the campus via CSUCI Alert.\n\nUniversity Glen/Anacapa Canyon residents will receive notifications from the campus as well as possible notifications from VC Alert.\n\nAdditional information on current conditions for Ventura County can be found at VC Emergency.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/vc-wind-and-fires-241106.htm",
      "sourceDescription": "CSUCI News Release — Information Alert: Santa Ana Winds and Fires",
      "annotations": [
        "Issued on the afternoon of November 6, 2024 as the Mountain Fire ignited near Somis at approximately 8:51 AM PST and rapidly expanded",
        "The advisory explicitly directed members of the campus community to use VC Alert (Ventura County's mass-notification system) for residence-level evacuation information, recognizing that the fire threat was off-campus to community members' homes, not on campus",
        "This was an unusual structural choice: rather than evacuating campus, CSUCI advised flexibility for community members responding to home-side emergencies"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1458
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Evening of Wednesday, November 6, 2024, PST",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/2024-classes-canceled-mountain-fire.htm",
      "sourceDescription": "CSUCI News Release — Classes canceled Nov. 7 & 8 (Mountain Fire)",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "California State University, Channel Islands ([CSUCI](https://www.csuci.edu/)) is a public university in Camarillo, Ventura County, with approximately 6,900 students. The Camarillo region sits at the convergence of the canyons and arroyos that historically channel Santa Ana wind events, making the university repeatedly exposed to wildfire threats. The [Mountain Fire ignited at approximately 8:51 AM PST on November 6, 2024](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Fire_(2024)) near Balcom Canyon between Somis and Moorpark, driven by Santa Ana winds gusting over 80 mph. The fire spread explosively, [eventually burning 19,904 acres and destroying or damaging 329 structures](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/11/6/mountain-fire) across Ventura County. Although the CSUCI campus was not within an evacuation zone, large numbers of faculty, staff, and students lived in Camarillo, Somis, and Moorpark neighborhoods that were under [VC Alert evacuation orders](https://www.kclu.org/2024-11-07/cal-state-channel-islands-cancels-classes-amid-mountain-fire-threat). The university first issued an [Information Alert](https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/vc-wind-and-fires-241106.htm) explaining the wind and fire conditions and directing community members to VC Alert for residence-level updates, then [canceled classes for both Thursday and Friday](https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/2024-classes-canceled-mountain-fire.htm) due to 'severe disruptions' and 'significant impacts' on the campus community. The case illustrates an important pattern in California fire emergencies: campuses are often physically safe while their commuter populations are displaced. CSUCI would face an even closer call ten weeks later when the Laguna Fire ignited within feet of campus on January 23, 2025.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "CSUCI canceled two consecutive days of classes (Nov. 7-8) for the Mountain Fire even though the campus itself was never under evacuation order",
    "The decision was driven by 'severe disruptions and significant impacts' on the commuter campus community, where many faculty, staff, and students lived in evacuation zones",
    "The initial Information Alert explicitly directed community members to VC Alert (Ventura County's mass-notification system) for residence-level information, recognizing the off-campus nature of the threat",
    "The Mountain Fire ultimately destroyed 243 structures and damaged 86 more across Ventura County, with 19,904 acres burned",
    "CSUCI's experience prefigured the more direct Laguna Fire threat to the campus on January 23, 2025, when an evacuation order was actually issued for the campus itself"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Information Alert: Santa Ana Winds and Fires Impacting Ventura County - CSU Channel Islands",
      "url": "https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/vc-wind-and-fires-241106.htm",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "CSUCI Cancels Classes Nov. 7 & 8 - CSU Channel Islands",
      "url": "https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/2024-classes-canceled-mountain-fire.htm",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Cal State Channel Islands cancels classes amid Mountain Fire threat - KCLU",
      "url": "https://www.kclu.org/2024-11-07/cal-state-channel-islands-cancels-classes-amid-mountain-fire-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Mountain Fire - CAL FIRE",
      "url": "https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/11/6/mountain-fire",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Mountain Fire (2024) - Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Fire_(2024)",
      "type": "reference"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "wildfire",
    "public-masters",
    "california",
    "mountain-fire",
    "ventura-county",
    "santa-ana-winds",
    "commuter-campus",
    "vc-alert",
    "class-cancellation",
    "rave"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-14",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-20",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}