{
  "id": "2019-10-11-cal-state-northridge-saddleridge-fire",
  "slug": "cal-state-northridge-saddleridge-fire-2019-10-11",
  "institution": {
    "name": "California State University, Northridge",
    "shortName": "CSUN",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "CSUN Alert",
    "enrollment": 38000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2019-10-11",
    "endDate": "2019-10-13",
    "type": "wildfire",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Three-day closure as the Saddleridge Fire forced mass evacuations nearby",
    "headlinePublic": "Three-day closure as the Saddleridge Fire forced mass evacuations nearby",
    "summary": "On Friday, October 11, 2019, [California State University, Northridge announced a three-day campus closure](https://www.csun.edu/node/11001/saddleridge-fire-alerts) due to the [Saddleridge Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddleridge_Fire) burning across the north San Fernando Valley. The fire had ignited around 9:02 PM PDT on Thursday, October 10, near a [Sylmar power line](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/10/saddle-ridge-fire), and by Friday morning had grown to thousands of acres, [forcing roughly 100,000 people from their homes](https://laist.com/2019/10/11/saddle-ridge-fire-porter-ranch-sylmar-granada-hills-los-angeles-evacuations.php) in Sylmar, Porter Ranch, and Granada Hills. CSUN (located in the San Fernando Valley, fewer than 10 miles from the fire perimeter) closed all activities and events from Friday through Sunday, October 11-13, and reopened Monday, October 14.",
    "outcome": "Campus closed October 11-13. All 38,000 students and 4,000 employees stood down for three days. No CSUN structures damaged. The Saddleridge Fire ultimately burned 8,799 acres, killed one person of cardiac arrest during evacuation, and caused eight injuries countywide before reaching full containment.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early morning of Friday, October 11, 2019",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "CSUN Alert: Due to the ongoing impacts to the region and air quality issues from the Saddleridge Fire, CSUN is closed and all campus activities and events are cancelled Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 11-13. CSUN will be open and operational Monday, October 14. An update on the status of campus will be posted at 12 p.m., Friday, October 11. Monitor csun.edu for updates.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.csun.edu/node/11001/saddleridge-fire-alerts",
      "sourceDescription": "CSUN Saddleridge Fire Alerts archive page (exact closure language preserved on the university advisory site)",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent Friday morning, October 11, 2019, after the Saddleridge Fire grew overnight from 100 acres to multiple thousands of acres",
        "The three-day pre-emptive closure was unusual for a fire that did not directly threaten campus structures. CSUN cited air quality and regional impact rather than direct evacuation risk",
        "Includes a planned 12 PM PDT update commitment, specifying when the next status update would be posted"
      ],
      "characterCount": 377
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 12:00 PM PDT on Friday, October 11, 2019",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.csun.edu/node/11001/saddleridge-fire-alerts",
      "sourceDescription": "Official page: www.csun.edu",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2019-10-13T15:00:00-07:00",
      "timestampApprox": "3:00 PM PDT on Sunday, October 13, 2019 (per the CSUN Saddleridge Fire Alerts archive timestamp)",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from CSUN Saddleridge Fire Alerts archive page describing the Monday reopening",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "California State University, Northridge sits in the [San Fernando Valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_University,_Northridge) and serves approximately 38,000 students, making it one of the [largest single-campus universities in the United States](https://www.csun.edu/about). The [Saddleridge Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddleridge_Fire) ignited at approximately 9:02 PM PDT on Thursday, October 10, 2019, beneath a high-voltage transmission tower near Sylmar (about 9 miles north of the CSUN campus) and was driven by 50+ mph Santa Ana winds. By Friday morning, the fire had grown explosively and Los Angeles officials had issued [evacuation orders for approximately 100,000 people](https://laist.com/2019/10/11/saddle-ridge-fire-porter-ranch-sylmar-granada-hills-los-angeles-evacuations.php) across Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Sylmar, and Northridge-adjacent neighborhoods. CSUN's three-day closure aligned with broader [LA-area campus closures](https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/california-fires/saddleridge-fire-in-los-angeles-explodes-in-size-forces-evacuations-101119) including Pierce College, LA Mission College, and LA Valley College. The fire ultimately [burned 8,799 acres](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/10/saddle-ridge-fire), destroyed at least 19 structures, caused one death from cardiac arrest during evacuation, and resulted in 8 firefighter injuries.",
  "casualties": {
    "killed": 0,
    "injured": 0,
    "notes": "No CSUN-related casualties. Countywide, the Saddleridge Fire caused 1 death (cardiac arrest during evacuation) and 8 firefighter injuries."
  },
  "keyFindings": [
    "CSUN's three-day pre-emptive closure was driven by regional air quality and impact rather than a direct threat to campus structures",
    "The Friday-morning closure decision affected one of the largest single-campus student populations in the CSU system (~38,000)",
    "The 12 PM PDT update commitment in the initial alert set a specific time for the next status update, which the noon message then delivered"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Saddleridge Fire Alerts (California State University, Northridge)",
      "url": "https://www.csun.edu/node/11001/saddleridge-fire-alerts",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saddleridge Fire (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddleridge_Fire",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saddle Ridge Fire (CAL FIRE)",
      "url": "https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/10/saddle-ridge-fire",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "LA Declares Emergency As Saddleridge Fire Forces 100,000 People From Their Homes (LAist)",
      "url": "https://laist.com/2019/10/11/saddle-ridge-fire-porter-ranch-sylmar-granada-hills-los-angeles-evacuations.php",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saddleridge Fire in Los Angeles explodes in size, forces evacuations (10News)",
      "url": "https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/california-fires/saddleridge-fire-in-los-angeles-explodes-in-size-forces-evacuations-101119",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saddle Ridge Brush Fire (Los Angeles Fire Department)",
      "url": "https://lafd.org/news/saddle-ridge-brush-fire",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "wildfire",
    "saddleridge-fire",
    "campus-closure",
    "california",
    "csu",
    "cal-state-northridge",
    "san-fernando-valley",
    "air-quality",
    "santa-ana-winds"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-13",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-20",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}