Canyon Fire 2

To the Anteater community:

Yesterday, a rampant fire caused the evacuation of thousands of people across Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, East Orange and Orange Park Acres. The fire continues to threaten the neighborhoods of many members of our campus community. Our thoughts and well-wishes go out to all those who have lost their homes or who are threatened by the fire. While UCI facilities are not directly impacted and will remain open, we understand that many individuals within the Anteater family may be impacted.

If you are a student affected by the fires, please notify your instructors if you are going to miss class. If you are unable to contact your professors before class, please let them know as soon as possible. Faculty members are encouraged to be as flexible as possible with all students – and fellow colleagues – who are impacted by the fire and road closures.

If you are an employee who is unable to travel to work due to evacuation, road closures or emergencies related to the fire, please notify your supervisor as soon as possible to discuss time off from work. Supervisors should make every effort to accommodate the needs of affected staff. Please direct any questions about leave requests to your human resources business partner: campus, health sciences or medical center.

Many members of our campus community want to help out in times of need. Our human resources office has created a disaster relief website to help locate community partners and resources: http://hr.uci.edu/disaster-relief/.

For those on campus today, the South Air Quality Management District has issued a smoke advisory for our area. As of 6:30 a.m. this morning, the air quality index for our area is “moderate.” Please avoid vigorous exertion, limit outdoor exposure and keep windows and doors closed. If you have an air conditioner, keep the fresh air intake closed and filter clean to prevent bringing smoke inside. Environmental Health and Safety & Risk Services will monitor the air quality on campus. You can learn more about the Air Quality Index here.

Updates on the fire are available on the City of Anaheim website.

We will update the Anteater community if any UCI facilities are affected.