The sky turned orange and the air thickened Saturday as smoke and ash from fires burning in as close as Brea blanketed the campus and the greater Los Angeles area.
Fast-moving winds and temperatures in the 90s spurred on earlier fires burning north of Los Angeles in Montecito and Sylmar, and started fires east of Biola in Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills and Corona.
During the weekend, a fire in Brea’s Carbon Canyon surrounded Brea Olinda High School just 11 miles east of Biola. The L.A. Times reported Saturday that the school could barely be seen through the dense smoke.
On Sunday the Carbon Canyon fire combined with the other Orange County fires, becoming what has been called the Triangle Complex fire. It became the major focus of the firefighting efforts through Sunday and the beginning of the week.
The Health Center saw 10 students with respiratory problems this past week due to the thick smoke in the air. Four of these were asthmatics who had to be sent to the hospital, and the others were more minor cases, said Kristin Phelps, director of the Health Center.
Campus Safety was in contact with Integrated Marketing Communications during the fires to help communicate the latest news to concerned parents, said Justin Shelby, Campus Safety’s administrative manager.
An email from IMC was sent to Biola employees stating that Provost Gary Miller, acting in place of President Barry Corey as he traveled overseas, had evaluated the status of the campus and cleared it for normal business operations Monday.
However, Biola’s physical education classes were cancelled Monday or moved to indoor locations due to the air quality. Biola employees were also notified by e-mail that they could be excused from work if health conditions prevented them from commuting or if the fires directly affected their homes.
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the fires, including 484 in a mobile home park near Sylmar, according to The Associated Press. In addition, nearly 187 homes burned down in northern Orange County, reported the Orange County Register.
Fire officials are investigating reports of a lack of water pressure during the firefights to save the mobile home park and communities in Yorba Linda.
Around 26,000 were evacuated in areas around the Triangle Complex blaze, and schools in the Brea and Yorba Linda-Placentia school districts were closed Monday. Other schools in the area canceled outdoor activities due to poor air quality.
Phelps advises students with respiratory problems to exercise caution since the air quality is still poor. She said physical activity should be limited, and students should stay indoors with the windows closed.
