West
Pepperdine University cross survives Franklin Fire: ‘Grateful to God’
A cross overlooking Pepperdine University miraculously withstood a wildfire that came dangerously close to the Malibu, California, campus and forced students to shelter in place earlier this week.
A video shared by the campus on Wednesday shows a discernible hiking trail leading up to the unscathed cross surrounded by scorched dirt and vegetation.
The school shared an unattributed quote from someone who said they became “teary-eyed” and “grateful to God” as they moved closer to the cross.
The cross sits at the top of a hiking trail that extends three miles into the Santa Monica Mountains.
MALIBU WILDFIRE FORCES CELEBRITIES TO FLEE LUXURY HOMES AS DEVASTATION SPREADS
A cross sitting atop the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. (Pepperdine University)
The original cross burned down during the Woolsey Fire in 2018. The current 20-foot cross was placed there by the brothers of the Sigma Chi fraternity, the school said in a blog post.
In the meantime, firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze – dubbed the Franklin Fire – which was only 20% contained on Thursday.
The Franklin Fire rages through the upscale city of Malibu. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The flames were fed by powerful winds that swept through the region at the beginning of the week, making it difficult for firefighters to control the flames.
FIREFIGHTERS STRUGGLE TO CONTAIN FAST-MOVING MALIBU WILDFIRE, PROMPTING EVACUATION ORDERS
The weather improved so much on Wednesday that meteorologists discontinued all red flag warnings, which indicate high fire danger, and crews were able to successfully push back against the flames.
The city, which is about 45 miles north of Los Angeles, is known for its rugged canyons, stunning bluffs and celebrities’ seaside mansions.
The Franklin Fire caused a shelter-in-place order at Pepperdine University in Malibu as flames surrounded the campus. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
More than 3,700 Malibu residents have been allowed to return to their homes, but another 1,600 people with homes in the city remained under evacuation orders. A
ll told, some 20,000 residents in the city and neighboring areas have been affected by mandatory evacuation orders and warnings since the fire broke out late Monday.
The Franklin Fire rages through Malibu. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The evacuation orders impacted many celebrities who live in the city, including Cher, Jane Seymour and Dick Van Dyke, among others.
Early analysis shows little to no damage to structures at Pepperdine University. Final exams were postponed or canceled, and faculty members were determining how best to complete the semester, which ends this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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This year’s annual Bay to Breakers — the event that’s as much as roving costume party as a 12 kilometer run — is being held on Sunday, May 17. While participants prepare their outfits for the event, San Franciscans prepare for the road closures that accompany the event. Transit officials recommend runners and spectators alike use subways and mass transit, especially on the day of the race.
Denver, CO
Northbound I-25 closed between Denver and Colorado Springs after fatal multi-vehicle crash
SEATTLE — Public Health – Seattle & King County officials are monitoring a fourth King County resident for possible exposure to the Andes type of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, health officials said Friday.
The Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified local health officials on May 14 about the additional resident, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
RELATED | What exactly is hantavirus and how concerned should Washington residents be?
The resident did not travel on the cruise ship but was aboard a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam with an ill cruise ship passenger before departure.
Officials said the sick passenger was removed from the aircraft before the flight left Johannesburg and later tested positive for the virus.
The infected passenger began traveling before the outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization.
The King County resident is considered at low risk for infection because they were not seated near the ill passenger, health officials said.
The resident has returned to King County, remains asymptomatic, and is monitoring for symptoms.
Earlier this week, Public Health announced that three King County residents were under monitoring for the Andes type of hantavirus.
Two of those residents had been seated near the infected passenger on the Johannesburg-to-Amsterdam flight. Both have returned home to King County, remain symptom-free, and are monitoring for symptoms in coordination with public health officials.
A third King County resident who was a passenger aboard the MV Hondius is being monitored alongside other American passengers at the national quarantine center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Officials said that the resident remains asymptomatic.
Health officials said there are currently no cases of Andes-type hantavirus in King County, and no residents are showing symptoms. The risk to the public remains low, officials said.
“We were informed yesterday of a fourth individual with a low-risk exposure and were able to reach the resident today,” Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, health officer and acting director for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a statement. “All our residents are following public health protocols, and the risk to the King County community remains low.”
Valenciano said monitoring exposed individuals allows health officials to support residents while ensuring early detection and rapid public health response if symptoms develop.
Hantavirus infections are rare but can cause severe illness.
The viruses are primarily spread through contact with wild rodents and exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva.
According to health officials, the Andes virus is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person, typically through close physical contact, prolonged exposure in enclosed spaces, or contact with body fluids from an infected person.
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