{
  "id": "2017-10-09-sonoma-state-university-tubbs-fire",
  "slug": "sonoma-state-university-tubbs-fire-2017-10-09",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Sonoma State University",
    "shortName": "SSU",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "SSU Alert",
    "enrollment": 9400
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2017-10-09",
    "endDate": "2017-10-15",
    "type": "wildfire",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Pre-dawn phone alert wakes campus as the Tubbs Fire spreads; classes suspended for a week",
    "headlinePublic": "Pre-dawn phone alert wakes campus as the Tubbs Fire spreads; classes suspended for a week",
    "summary": "At 4:13 AM PDT on October 9, 2017, an [SSU Alert phone call woke students](https://sonomastatestar.com/12219/news/2017-10-17-historic-north-bay-firestorm-shuts-down-sonoma-state-campus/) as the wind-driven Tubbs Fire raced through Santa Rosa, ultimately becoming one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. The university suspended classes through October 16 and converted the Student Center into a [voluntary evacuation shelter](https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires). More than 30 students, faculty, and staff lost their homes, including SSU President Judy K. Sakaki.",
    "outcome": "Campus closed October 9-15, 2017. Voluntary evacuation shelter opened in the Student Center. More than 30 students, faculty, and staff lost their homes, including President Sakaki. Tubbs Fire killed 22 people and destroyed over 5,600 structures regionally."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2017-10-09T04:13:00-07:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Classes and University business has been suspended up until noon today due to the area fires. We will continue to update you as needed.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "annotations": [
        "Full text from official Sonoma State fire-response message archive (news.sonoma.edu); transcribed from Wayback 20240707011557 of live page",
        "Reverse-911 phone call hit student phones at 4:13 AM PDT on October 9, 2017, as the Tubbs Fire raced from Calistoga toward Santa Rosa overnight"
      ],
      "characterCount": 135,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires",
      "sourceDescription": "Sonoma State official fire response archive (verbatim message chain)"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2017-10-09T04:45:00-07:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Fire in area, we are NOT under evacuation at this time. On-campus students who wish to leave their room, meet at 3rd floor Student Center.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "Sonoma State official fire response archive (verbatim message chain)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full text from official Sonoma State fire-response message archive (news.sonoma.edu); transcribed from Wayback 20240707011557 of live page",
        "Sent at 4:45 AM PDT on October 9, 2017, 32 minutes after the initial call"
      ],
      "characterCount": 138,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2017-10-09T05:39:00-07:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "We are still NOT under evacuation at this time. Campus is closed until noon today. Please do not come to campus at this time. We will continue to update you as needed.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "Sonoma State official fire response archive (verbatim message chain)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full text from official Sonoma State fire-response message archive (news.sonoma.edu); transcribed from Wayback 20240707011557 of live page",
        "Issued at 5:39 AM PDT on October 9, 2017, less than 90 minutes after the initial phone call"
      ],
      "characterCount": 167,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Mid-morning of October 9, 2017, PDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Classes and University business have been suspended today (Monday, Oct. 9) and tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 10) due to fires in the area. Employees will be notified by their supervisor if they should come in.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires",
      "sourceDescription": "Sonoma State official fire response archive (verbatim message chain)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full text from official Sonoma State fire-response message archive (news.sonoma.edu); transcribed from Wayback 20240707011557 of live page",
        "Extended the closure from 'noon' to two full days, signaling the institution's recognition that the Tubbs Fire was not a one-day event"
      ],
      "characterCount": 203
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2017-10-11T20:00:00-07:00",
      "timestampApprox": "Wednesday evening, October 11, 2017, PDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Due to the growing poor air quality and unpredictable weather patterns, the University has made the decision to close campus and require all students to leave. SSU will not be open for classes or university business until Monday, October 16.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires",
      "sourceDescription": "Sonoma State News official 'SSU's Response to the Fires' page documenting the October 11 closure announcement",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text from SSU News' official 'Response to the Fires' page; sent on October 11, 2017 at approximately 8 PM PDT",
        "First message to use 'require all students to leave', the sharpest language SSU issued during the firestorm",
        "Tied the decision to two specific environmental conditions (air quality, weather) rather than to the fire itself; the campus was not in the immediate fire path but faced unsafe air"
      ],
      "characterCount": 241
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Sonoma State University](https://www.sonoma.edu/sonoma-county-fires) is a public master's-granting institution in Rohnert Park, California, eight miles south of downtown Santa Rosa. On the night of October 8, 2017, multiple fires ignited across Napa and Sonoma counties driven by powerful Diablo winds, among them the [Tubbs Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubbs_Fire), which raced from Calistoga across Highway 101 and into the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove neighborhoods of Santa Rosa within hours. SSU's first emergency notification went out as a [reverse-911 phone call at 4:13 AM PDT on October 9](https://sonomastatestar.com/12219/news/2017-10-17-historic-north-bay-firestorm-shuts-down-sonoma-state-campus/), waking students with news of fast-moving fires in the area. Over the following 96 hours, SSU issued repeated SSU Alert messages, ultimately closing campus through October 15 and converting the Student Center into a voluntary evacuation shelter. As conditions worsened on October 11, the university [pivoted from voluntary shelter to required student departure](https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires). More than 30 students, faculty, and staff lost their homes, including SSU President Judy K. Sakaki. The Tubbs Fire ultimately killed 22 people and destroyed over 5,600 structures, becoming at the time the most destructive wildfire in California history. The case is notable for SSU's use of reverse-911 phone calls (not just SMS) to wake sleeping students during an overnight fire.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "SSU's first alert was a 4:13 AM PDT reverse-911 phone call, recognizing that SMS alone cannot reliably wake sleeping students during overnight emergencies",
    "Five distinct alert messages went out within 7 hours of the initial call, illustrating the cadence required during a fast-moving wind-driven fire",
    "The university escalated from 'NOT under evacuation' to 'require all students to leave' over roughly 48 hours as air quality and regional conditions worsened",
    "President Sakaki and 30+ faculty/staff/students lost their homes, the institution itself was a victim alongside its students, complicating recovery operations"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Sonoma State's Response to the Fires (SSU News)",
      "url": "https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Sonoma County Fires (Sonoma State University)",
      "url": "https://www.sonoma.edu/sonoma-county-fires",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Historic North Bay firestorm shuts down Sonoma State campus (Sonoma State Star)",
      "url": "https://sonomastatestar.com/12219/news/2017-10-17-historic-north-bay-firestorm-shuts-down-sonoma-state-campus/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Sonoma State University reopens after closing during fires (Press Democrat)",
      "url": "https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-state-university-reopens-after-closing-during-fires/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Tubbs Fire (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubbs_Fire",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Tubbs Fire (Central LNU Complex) - CAL FIRE",
      "url": "https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2017/10/8/tubbs-fire-central-lnu-complex",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Wayback snapshot of SSU fire response page",
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20240707011557/https://news.sonoma.edu/sonoma-states-response-fires",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "wildfire",
    "tubbs-fire",
    "north-bay-firestorm",
    "santa-rosa",
    "california",
    "sonoma-state",
    "voluntary-evacuation",
    "reverse-911",
    "diablo-winds",
    "displaced-president"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}