Some California Colleges Close, Cancel Classes Amid Wildfires
Katherine Knott
January 9, 2025
As multiple wildfires rage in and around the Los Angeles metro area and scorch thousands of acres, many colleges and universities in the region are canceling events or classes, closing, or providing shelter.
Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College, Ventura College and Glendale Community College closed their campuses through the rest of the week while California Institute of Technology, Occidental College and others either canceled classes or closed down Wednesday and Thursday. Most of the colleges are still on winter break, so many students aren’t on campus. Still, as firefighters struggling to contain the blazes and new fires starting in the region, Los Angeles area colleges are closely monitoring the situation.
Pepperdine University closed its Malibu campus, near where the Palisades fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses, to make way for emergency vehicles, and told employees to work remotely. The deadly Palisades fire has so far consumed more than 15,000 acres but, as of Wednesday evening, doesn’t pose a threat to the university.
