Monday, Dec. 11 - 11:40 am
Here are this morning's wildfire updates, according to Cal Fire:
- The Rye Fire, which began west of Valencia last week, is currently at 6,049 acres and 93% contained.
- The Creek Fire that started in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles has burned 15,619 acres and 95% contained.
- The Thomas Fire, which is located in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, is only 15% contained and has burned through 230,500 acres.
The wildfire situation seems to be under control in Los Angeles County. CalArts will continue to monitor the situation as needed. Thanks to the first responders who worked diligently to keep CalArts and the rest of the Santa Clarita community safe last week.
Friday, Dec. 8 - 4:25 pm
Cal Fire has not updated the status of the Rye Fire this afternoon, but the National Weather Service's Red Flag (high wind) warning remains in effect for the Los Angeles area through 8 pm on Sunday.
CalArts Facilities and Campus Safety teams will continue to monitor the Southern California situation through the weekend and will notify the CalArts community of changes that may impact operations.
Friday, Dec. 8 - 9:40 am
CalArts is open for regular business hours today and classes are meeting as scheduled.
Here are the most recent updates from Cal Fire:
- The Rye Fire, which is located west of Valencia, stands at 6,049 acres burned and is 35% contained.
- The Creek Fire, which is close to Lake View Terrace, stands at 15,323 acres and is 40% contained.
- The Thomas Fire, which is located in Ventura County is currently at 132,000 acres burned and is 10% contained.
Thursday, Dec. 7 - 4:40 pm
A good resource, Cal Fire, has a running list of fires throughout the state. The Rye Fire, which was closest to Valencia, remains at 15% containment. It is expected to be fully contained by Dec. 15.
Red Flag Warnings (for high winds) are in effect until Saturday for much Southern California. Extremely dry conditions and Santa Ana Winds continue to hamper firefighting efforts, so CalArts Facilities and Campus Safety teams will continue to monitor the Southern California situation and will notify the CalArts community of changes that may impact operations.
We anticipate that CalArts will be open tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 8) for regular business hours and class schedules, unless conditions change during the evening hours.
Thursday, Dec. 7 - 9:30 am
As of this morning, the LA County Fire Public Information Office issued a statement that the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita is at 15% containment with an estimated 7,000 acres burned.
Thursday, Dec. 7 - 7:03 am
The CalArts campus is open for normal business hours today (Thursday, Dec. 7). Because of several wildfires still burning in Southern California, commute times may still be impacted.
For students, faculty and staff: If your home is in an area affected by the fires or freeway closures, or there are safety concerns in your area and you need to stay home, please notify your school, office or supervisor of your situation.
Campus Safety and Facilities teams are currently monitoring the Southern California winds and fires and will notify the CalArts community of changes that may impact operations.
We anticipate that CalArts will be open tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 7) for regular business hours and class schedules, unless conditions change during the evening hours.
Wednesday, Dec. 6 - 5:30 pm
According to the last update from the city of Santa Clarita, the Rye Fire has burned 7,000 acres and is 5 percent contained, but there were no current active fires in the city as of this morning. The Santa Ana Winds are expected to pick up again this evening, so the Facilities and Campus Safety teams will continue to monitor the situation through the night.
The fires in Southern California are impacting the air quality throughout the region. Los Angeles County Interim Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser urges all individuals in fire zones, or areas where there is visible smoke or the odor of smoke, to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure and to limit physical exertion (whether indoor or outdoor), such as exercise. Read more about L.A.'s air quality.
We anticipate that CalArts will be open tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 7) for regular business hours and class schedules, unless conditions change during the evening hours.
We'll continue to post on the Fire Information page as new information arises.
Wednesday, Dec. 6 - 8:35 am
The CalArts campus is open for normal business hours today (Wednesday, Dec. 6). Because of several wildfires still burning in Southern California and freeway closures, commutes times may be severely impacted.
If your home is in an area affected by the fires or freeway closures, or there are safety concerns in your area and you need to stay home, please notify your school, office or supervisor of your situation.
Campus Safety and Facilities teams are currently monitoring the Southern California fires and will notify the CalArts community of changes that may impact operations.
10:20 pm
As of this evening, we anticipate that CalArts will be open on Wednesday (Dec. 6) for regular business hours and class schedules. Facilities and Campus Safety will continue to monitor the situation overnight and will post updates should the fire situation change.
7:32 pm
According to multiple news sources, the Rye Fire seems to be headed west away from the Santa Clarita Valley and toward Simi Valley. The last official containment numbers are 5,000 acres burned and approximately 5 percent contained.
4:39 pm
Campus Safety and Facilities teams are currently monitoring the Southern California fire situation, and the CalArts campus remains open.
- Students should check with your instructors on the status of individual classes scheduled for this evening.
- School of Theater productions will be running as scheduled tonight.
If your home is in an area affected by the fires and you need to leave CalArts or stay home to monitor the fire, please notify your school, office or supervisor of your situation.
If you live in an area in the fire zones and are unable to get home and need a place to stay, CalArts can accommodate you.
- Students, please call Maria-Victoria Perez or Nick Rougely in Student Affairs at 661-253-7874.
- CalArts staff and faculty should call Jesse Smith in Facilties at 661-253-7815.
- After 5 p.m., please call Campus Safety at 661-222-2702 to make arrangements.
3:06 pm
There are several wildfires burning in Southern California currently: the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, the Creek Fire near Sylmar and the Rye Fire, which is burning in Santa Clarita. The I-5 remains closed in both directions from Hasley Canyon to 126. The 210 Freeway is closed from 2 to I-5.
Campus Safety and Facilities teams are currently monitoring all fires, and the campus remains open. If your home is in an area affected by the fires and you need to leave CalArts or stay home to monitor the fire, please notify your school, office or supervisor of your situation.
If you live in an area in the fire zones and are unable to get home and need a place to stay, CalArts can accommodate you.
- Students, please call Maria-Victoria Perez or Nick Rougely in Student Affairs at 661-253-7874.
- CalArts staff and faculty should call Jesse Smith in Facilties at 661-253-7815.
- After 5 p.m., please call Campus Safety at 661-222-2702 to make arrangements.
Power Outage Precaution
Because of the high winds, there is a strong possibility of power outages in the area. CalArts IT asks you to please unplug your devices from the wall outlets before leaving today to prevent damage from surges when power is restored. While damage from surges is unlikely, unplugging devices, power strips, printers, copiers and other electronics will make sure that no damage occurs.
Please check your equipment before an outage occurs to ensure that you know where the power plug is, where the switch on your power strip is, or to let IT know that you need help determining what to do. If there is a blackout and power is restored, please wait a few minutes before plugging in and turning on devices as there may still be fluctuations in power during that time.
12:26 pm
There are several wildfires burning in Southern California currently: the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, the Creek Fire near Sylmar and the Rye Fire, which is burning in Santa Clarita, and has closed the 5 Freeway in both directions at the 126 Freeway.
We are currently monitoring all fires, and the campus remains open. If your home is in an area affected by the fires and you need to leave CalArts or stay home to monitor the fire, pleasenotify your school, office or supervisor of your situation.
Campus Safety and Facilties are keeping a close watch on any official messages from the city of Santa Clarita or the Sheriff's Department and will keep the CalArts community apprised throughout the day.
In the meantime, here are a few online resources and social media accounts to follow breaking wildfire news:
Should you have any questions, please call Campus Security at 661-222-2702.