A famous wooden cross survived the flames as thousands of acres of California burned. The cross sits on the hillside above Pepperdine University a Christian school near Malibu. The cross was previously destroyed in a 2018 fire and is a popular destination for hikers. The blaze, now known as the Franklin Fire, started Monday and by Friday authorities had contained the fire.
The white cross overlooking Pepperdine was rebuilt on Dec. 1, 2018, by the Sigma Chi fraternity in memory of Alaina Housley. A freshman killed in the shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill, a month prior, a school paper reports. The fraternity brothers carried the cross up the mountain and made a symbol of loss into a sign of hope. The three-mile hike is known to locals as ‘ the hike to the cross.’
“As I got closer, I began to get teary-eyed … I am grateful to God that he spared Pepperdine and this cross, that burned down during the Woolsey Fire and had to be replaced, “a spokesperson for the University expressed on social media. “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.”
The Franklin Fire prompted evacuations across the city. Pepperdine was forced to cancel classes as students sheltered in place. Weather cooperated with the authorities and the fire was contained quickly. However, the fire burned 4,037 acres, damaged 19 buildings and completely demolished another 19. Social media users posted dramatic videos of the flames raging near residential areas.
More than 3,700 residents of Malibu have been allowed home, but 1,600 remain under mandatory evacuation orders. This is a significant decrease from the original 20,000 residents across Malibu and neighboring areas impacted by evacuation orders and Fire Weather Warnings. More than 2,000 firefighters reacted to the disaster. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Pepperdine student Vignesh Sundaram said, “It just looked like ultimate chaos, and it was quite scary to look at. It felt very surreal at first,” he continued. “It was hard to process kind of like how close the fire was.” Social media users added their commentary as well. Many posters thanked God for sparing the monument and gave thanks that the school was largely undamaged.
One X user, replied “Thinking of my Pepperdine family and everyone impacted by the 4,000+ acre Franklin Fire throughout the Malibu community and beyond. The fire came within 90 feet of the building that houses my grad school, but it looks like the campus has avoided major damage. ” Another expressed “Thank you to all those who helped keep Pepperdine safe.”
Check out the video of the cross.
We hiked to the cross on the hills above campus this morning. pic.twitter.com/XnWwMQnGo4
— Pepperdine University (@pepperdine) December 11, 2024
Across the web, users were brought to tears by the incredible symbolism. Another user posted “Thank you for sharing this. Made me cry. I’m sure God has listened to many prayers from there.” While the fire is under control there is still much work to be done rebuilding. Thankfully the cross stands but the Pepperdine Admin has not made any plans for repairing the rest of the damage.