19 school districts in LA County announce fire-related closures
A trio of fires in Los Angeles County have forced 19 school districts to close on Wednesday.
The Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires first caused tens of thousands of evacuations across the county. Mainly fueled by a "life-threatening" windstorm, the wildfires burned more than 4,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades, the San Gabriel Valley and the San Fernando Valley. The National Weather Service forecasted gusts ranging between 60 to 100 mph.
Pepperdine University announced that the Malibu and Calabasas campuses will be closed Wednesday. School officials said there is no immediate threat to the university and they are monitoring conditions of the Palisades Fire.
The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena has also announced that its campus will be closed on Wednesday and all nonessential operations will be canceled. Students who live on campus are being instructed to shelter in place.
The existing conditions and the potential for additional fires sparking in the area between Tuesday and Wednesday evening forced the nearly 20 school districts to cancel classes, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Education.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced on Wednesday that schools in the eastern and central parts of the district that are experiencing hazardous air quality will be closed. The area includes north of Manchester Boulevard/Firestone Boulevard, east of 10th Avenue, west of Interstate 710 and south of Highway 134.
The department posted the following list of districts with closures:
The Los Angeles Unified School District closed seven schools:
LA City officials said that those affected by the closures will receive notifications.
"Please visit lausd.org for updates. If families need additional support, please contact our Family Hotline at (213) 443-1300," LA City officials wrote in a statement.
