No Doubting Thomas on Campus

Like most of the region, people at Westmont learned about the Thomas Fire following the massive power outage December 4 that thrust the entire campus and 1,200 students into darkness. The disruption continued into the morning hours as officials scrambled to fix infrastructure that crippled the college’s website and email servers. 

Smoke from the blaze blanketed the college in the following days, forcing the cancelation of outdoor activities to keep students, faculty, and staff indoors and away from the hazardous smoke. The college also handed out about 1,400 N95 particulate masks to students and staff on December 6.

President Gayle D. Beebe led an open forum for everyone the morning of December 7 in the Dining Commons to announce that the college was canceling classes for the remainder of the day and until the start of finals on December 12. About 380 students remained on campus, though most used the opportunity to stay with family and friends out of the fire’s path. High Efficiency Particulate Air scrubbers were strategically placed in the Dining Commons, Murchison Gym, and Voskuyl Library to improve air quality where students congregate.

Due to worsening air quality, Beebe announced December 9 that final exams would not be held on campus.

“First and foremost, we had to ensure the health and safety of Westmont students, faculty, and staff,” Beebe says. “We were able to come up with a solution that allowed faculty to issue finals as they saw fit, on a class-by-class basis to maintain the academic integrity of the institution.”

Remaining students packed up essential belongings, checked out with resident directors in the gym, and left campus ahead of any evacuation orders. Westmont faculty and staff opened their homes to students who lived out of the region, and the college provided transportation to Santa Barbara Community Church. 

The college fell under a mandatory evacuation order December 10 and all non-emergency personnel were ordered to leave campus.

The vacant 110-acre property became an operational headquarters for the Thomas Fire, housing about 500 firefighters and 100 engines that cycled through campus as crews battled the blaze in the foothills to the east. Westmont moved its college business operations to respond to critical matters posed by the crisis and evacuation to the Westmont Downtown site on Anapamu Street.

Westmont’s Lovik Field may also be used as a refilling station for helicopters battling the Thomas Fire, as was the case during the Gibraltar Fire in December 2015.