Quick Response Suppresses the Cold Fire

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The fire department quickly suppressed the Cold Fire, which broke out northeast of campus about noon today. Fire officials described it as a two-acre, slow-growth vegetation fire at the top of Cold Spring Trail. Favorable weather conditions, including little wind, have helped firefighters.

The fire department has lifted all evacuation orders, and all roads are now open. Cold Spring Road was closed for several hours to keep people out of the mandatory evacuation zone, which was northeast of campus.

The Cold Fire never presented a threat to Westmont, but the Situation Readiness and Response Team met and monitored the situation closely, keeping the campus community informed of the latest updates. The team will continue to communicate with fire officials until the fire is completely out.

In the unlikely event the fire worsens and threatens campus, the team will immediately implement the college’s fire response plan, which calls for the entire campus community to report to Murchison Gym to shelter in place.