Mount Saint Mary's University Students Evacuate as Getty Fire Nears

The Chalon Campus of Mount St Mary’s University in Los Angeles was evacuated in the early morning hours of October 28 as the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) warned of a large fire burning approximately a mile north of the Getty Center.

The evacuation zone was set from Mandeville Canyon Road to Sunset Boulevard, including Mount St Mary’s Chalon Campus, according to reports. As of 8.20 am local time the LAFD said that the fire was over 500 acres and had damaged five homes, and the California Highway Patrol closed SB 405 entirely from the 101 Freeway to Sunset Boulevard.

The LAFD urged people to stay vigilant, saying the fire was a “very dynamic situation due to high winds and information [was] quickly developing.” The red-flag fire conditions were exacerbated by “gusty” Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service said.

Video filmed by a student at Mount St. Mary’s University shows the Getty Fire on a nearby hill as Chalon Campus was evacuating at approximately 3 am, according to the uploader. “Besides me, there were 3 other students in the car. We were instructed by our resident assistants (RA) to evacuate. They came knocking to all our rooms and told us to pack our sneakers, a change of clothes, and some valuables since there was a fire close to the school. It was pretty chaotic in the hallways, since people were running to get out of the building and into their cars. Me and the other students were also running, which was why we were breathing heavily in the video,” the uploader said in a message to Storyful.

Later on October 28, Mount St Mary’s said there was “no significant damage to buildings at the Chalon Campus” and that classes and activities at both the Chalon and Doheny Campuses were canceled for October 28 and 29. Credit: @grahalover via Storyful