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The Franklin Fire has ravaged Malibu, Calif. As of Sunday, the fire has burned 4,037 acres, destroyed 19 structures, and damaged 27. Crews have contained it to 42%, and evacuation orders are now just warnings. Residents have repopulated their homes, yet some parks and other areas are still closed.

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“We’ve had a lot of good success in continuing to march forward on our containment of this incident,” Dusty Martin, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection incident commander, told reporters in a Friday community update. “Today, we were able to repopulate residents back into their homes and start to bring some of that normalcy back to the community.”

While the Franklin Fire pales in comparison to the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which devastated 97,000 acres, the area isn’t out of the woods yet. The infamous Santa Ana winds are expected to pick back up later this week, and gusts of between 30 and 50 miles per hour can cause the flames to spread.

Nevertheless, locals are grateful that the fire hasn’t been as bad as Woolsey so far.

One of the localities that the fire has affected is Pepperdine University. The unique geography on the campus of the private Christian university has the school handling emergencies like the fire in a different way.

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CNN reports:

“Evacuating a large population during a fast-moving wildfire can create additional risks, including exposure to hazardous conditions on congested roads,” said Michael Friel, the school’s senior director of Communications and Public Relations. “The Malibu campus is situated along Pacific Coast Highway, which can become a choke point during regional evacuations.”

“Another challenge is timing. Wildfires often move rapidly, leaving little time to safely evacuate thousands of students and staff,” Friel said. “By sheltering in place, we can keep everyone accounted for and in a secure environment.”

Students hunkered down on campus as the fire raged around them. But there was an encouraging symbol of hope for the school and the region: a cross that sits atop the mountain at the end of a hiking trail on campus survived the fire.

The Woolsey Fire destroyed the original cross in that location, and a fraternity replaced the cross later that year. The frat says that the paint on the wooden cross and the smaller crosses surrounding it is waterproof but not fireproof, “which shows how impressive (it) is that they are still standing strong,” as Fox Weather reports.

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“I am grateful to God that he spared Pepperdine and this cross that burned down during the Woolsey fire and had to be replaced,” one university official said. “Somehow He spared it, as if He wanted us to have something tangible to hold onto to help us through the difficulty we just went through.”

Indeed, not only did the fire spare the cross — the ultimate symbol of hope — but the trail also remained largely untouched.

God promised His followers through the prophet Isaiah that “when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2b, ESV). Thankfully, He also reminded the students and faculty of Pepperdine about His protection and provision. Pray for everyone in the path of this fire until it’s completely out.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! Your support allows me to do what I do, and for that, I’m grateful.

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