UCLA, on the edge of fire evacuation warning zone, to start in-person classes Tuesday

UCLA, located just outside Palisades fire evacuation and warning zones, will resume in-person classes Tuesday amid improving weather forecasts and fire containment, university officials announced Thursday.

“Yesterday evening, the red flag warning that was in effect for our area was lifted, which means the current weather conditions have shifted in our favor,” UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said in an online announcement. “We are optimistic about how things are trending: emergency responders are making progress in combating the fires, wind speed is diminishing and projections show continued safer air quality on campus.”

The university switched to remote classes last Thursday as a precaution after the Palisades fire could be seen from campus and mandatory evacuation and evacuation warning zones touched the UCLA border.

The university was never under mandatory evacuation or in an evacuation warning zone. Administrators have also said that, while smoky conditions were briefly reported by students on campus in the middle of last week, air quality measured by five on-campus monitors has remained within safe levels. Still, the vast majority of the 22,000 on-campus students left late last week.

Live

Crews improve containment on Palisades, Eaton fires as winds die down

Frenk and administrators said that while they are confident the campus is ready to shift back to normal operations, they are still on alert.

“Should conditions shift, we will revisit our plans,” Frenk said. “We are not letting our guard down. We will remain vigilant and communicate promptly with you with any important changes.”

Over the weekend, remaining students could be seen on “The Hill,” the northwest campus dorm area, packing their bags into bright yellow moving carts and placing luggage in Lyfts and Ubers. Many went to stay with relatives, friends or took flights home in and out of state.

Elliott Cho, a senior, said while moving out Sunday that he was leaving because “it’s not safe to be here because of the air quality.” Several undergraduates on campus reported seeing ash around their dorm buildings and smoke inside residence halls early last week before conditions cleared up as the week ended.

During virtual town halls this week, Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael J. Beck said that roughly 900 students remained on campus and that the university was ready to evacuate them if necessary — but that the prospect looked unlikely.

California

UCLA is ‘a ghost town’ as students flee campus next to Palisades fire evacuation zone

The UCLA campus in Westwood is not in an evacuation zone but right next to mandatory evacuation areas as well as evacuation warning zones. But many on- and off-campus students have already left.

Jan. 13, 2025

Speaking in a university-wide town hall Thursday, Beck said 1,240 off-campus students had been hit by evacuation warnings or mandatory evacuation orders after multiple wildfires broke out last week. About half of those students were no longer in either category.

Beck also said that 3,367 staff and faculty members had been under mandatory evacuations or evacuation warnings. More than 2,000 remained in those zones as of Wednesday.

Frenk, the former University of Miami president who began his UCLA role this month, praised the community Thursday during the town hall.

“Our staff have truly been amazing. So many are working literally around the clock and somehow finding extra energy to keep things running for Bruins. I know our students and parents have dealt with a great deal of uncertainty and fear, and want to acknowledge that,” Frenk said. “This crisis has shown me how much passion, how much heart is in our Bruin community in this short first two weeks of my tenure.”

The university has donated the use of its UCLA Research Park, the site of the former Westside Pavillion mall, to the federal government for FEMA use.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will temporarily operate the recovery center, which is offering aid to fire victims and evacuees to help them retrieve documents, file insurance claims and access federal assistance, social services, mental health and other needs.

The site is one of two FEMA disaster recovery centers in the region, with the other being at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center.

The University of California purchased the property it is donating last year. It’s under development to convert its commercial spaces into research facilities. When completed, the site will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, among other programs.