Calif. Wildfire Threatens Pepperdine

MALIBU, Calif. — A wildfire driven by powerful Santa Ana wind threatened a university and forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in the Malibu Hills on Sunday, authorities said. Flames destroyed a church and several homes, one of them a landmark castle.

About 500 firefighters worked to protect Pepperdine University and some 200 homes in the upscale Malibu Crest and Serra Retreat neighborhoods, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla.

The blaze had charred at least 1,000 acres — or more than a square mile — and had jumped the Pacific Coast Highway, closing the popular road and setting fire to cars and trees in shopping center parking lots along the route. TV footage also showed several buildings in flames in the area, including clusters of beach-side homes.

Faculty and staff at the 830-acre Pepperdine campus were urged to evacuate, school spokesman Jerry Derloshon said. Students had been instructed to gather their belongings from their dorm rooms and report to the school's cafeteria and basketball arena.

Power was out at the university but both evacuation areas had generators, said student and resident advisor Amanda Lewis, 21.

Helicopters dropped water on flames in the hills above the campus, and palm trees smoldered on the ocean-facing side of the campus.