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(DENVER, Co.) — Law enforcement agencies in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area are investigating a rise in burglaries targeting Asian homes, businesses and places of worship across the community.

There have been around 100 reported burglaries of Asian homes across the state this year, according to Denver ABC affiliate KMGH-TV.

The sheriff’s office in Douglas County — which is south of Denver — told ABC News that there have been around 14 burglaries targeting homes of Asian business owners since the beginning of the year. Seven of these have happened since September, it noted.

In an interview that aired on Tuesday, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly told ABC News Live’s Diane Macedo that there is a “multi-jurisdictional investigation” into a “sophisticated” operation, where the burglars are using “WiFi jammers to subvert alarm systems” and even conducting their own surveillance by setting up cameras near the homes of their victims to ensure that they are away when the burglars strike.

“Many times, these criminals will enter from the back, dressed as utility workers, are wearing vests,” Weekly said. “They’re very methodical. They plan these burglaries early, and they’ve made off with over $2.5 million that we’re aware of.”

The Douglas County Sheriff’s office first warned the community of these burglaries in an Oct. 31 statement and so far, no arrests have been made, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

Asked why Asian business owners appear to be targeted, Weekly said that some are known to keep “large amounts” of cash in their homes, as opposed to depositing the money in a bank.

Lisa Nguyen, the owner of a plaza of Asian-owned businesses, told ABC News that one of the businesses in her plaza was burglarized.

“They are destroying small businesses,” Nguyen said in Tuesday’s interview. “The amount of money that they took is detrimental to, you know, them being able to operate.”

She’s also president-elect of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, and said that the home of one of her real estate clients was burglarized twice since September.

According to Nguyen, who shared surveillance video of both burglaries with the ABC News, $17,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from a convenience store in her plaza.

She said a burglary of that scale puts families in a position where “multiple months of rent have been stolen” and “could cause businesses to completely shut down.”

Weekly urged the community to notify law enforcement if they see anything suspicious and advised residents to keep their homes locked, install lights on their property and to implement multiple security measures to safeguard their homes, as well as to communicate with their neighbors.

“It’s really critical if somebody sees something, call law enforcement so we can get out there,” Weekly said.

Weekly held a town hall on Monday night, along with Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown, the Organized Crime Unit and 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, to address the issue and share safety information with the community.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s office also partnered with the Colorado Asian Chamber of Commerce to distribute safety tips and urge anyone who has experienced a burglary or seen anything suspicious to come forward.

Nguyen said that she hopes an arrest will be made soon.

“I think my message is just that somebody literally has to know something out there,” she said. “And you know, that’s all it’s going to take is for somebody to come forward.”

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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel last week, considered the slaying to be a “symbolic takedown” of UnitedHealthcare over perceived corruption, according to a confidential assessment of the crime by the NYPD intelligence bureau described to ABC News.

Mangione “appeared to view the targeted killing … as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and ‘power games,'” the assessment said, according to a source. Mangione allegedly described himself as the “first to face” United Healthcare “with such brutal honesty.”

The assessment is based in part on the suspect’s writings.

When Mangione was arrested on Monday he had “written admissions about the crime” with him, according to the New York arrest warrant.

Mangione had several handwritten pages on him that expressed a “disdain for corporate America” and indicated “he’s frustrated with the health care system in the United States,” NYPD Chief of Detective Joe Kenny told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.

“Specifically, he states how we are the No. 1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet the life expectancy of an American is ranked 42 in the world,” Kenny said.

Whether Mangione has a personal connection to UnitedHealthcare is unknown, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, but the writings mention UnitedHealthcare by name, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The sources described the handwriting as sloppy and included these quotes: “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

Mangione — who was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 slaying — is in custody in Pennsylvania and is set to appear at an extradition hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The NYPD was “thrilled” to get the call from Altoona police that they had a person of interest in custody, Tisch told “GMA.”

Kenny said “the key to this case” was releasing the photo of the suspect’s face to the media and the public.

“That picture reached Pennsylvania,” where Mangione was recognized at a McDonald’s on Monday morning, Kenny said.

“We are grateful as a city to that person,” Tisch said.

“We had collected early in the investigation some forensic evidence, some DNA evidence, some fingerprints, so we were very confident that we were ultimately going to get to the right person,” Tisch added.

“We do have a lot of evidence in this case,” Tisch told “GMA.”

Mangione was apprehended “in possession of the same New Jersey fake identification that was used” to check into a hostel on New York’s Upper West Side before Thompson was gunned down, she said.

The gun Mangione was allegedly found with on Monday “looks very similar” to the gun used in the murder, “with a similar suppressor,” Tisch said. “So there’s a lot of reasons that we feel very strongly that he is the person of interest.”

Officers allegedly found a 3D printed pistol and a 3D printed silencer, according to the criminal complaint filed in Pennsylvania.

“The pistol had one loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jack rounds. There was also one loose nine-millimeter hollow point round,” the complaint said.

Kenny described the weapon as a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number and was untraceable.

Mangione, a Maryland native and Ivy League graduate, has been charged in New York with second-degree murder, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon.

He was charged with five crimes in Pennsylvania, including carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing “instruments of crime,” according to the criminal complaint.

Mangione’s family said in a statement that they’re “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”

The Pennsylvania State Police is asking for the public’s help piecing together Mangione’s travel in Pennsylvania. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-4PA-TIPS.

Police are also looking at Mangione’s travel at various points across the United States and out of the county within the past year, sources said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione is facing a second-degree murder charge in New York City in connection with the brazen shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as new details emerge about the suspect and a potential motive, according to police.

When 26-year-old Mangione was arrested on Monday he had “written admissions about the crime” with him, according to the New York arrest warrant.

Mangione had several handwritten pages on him that expressed a “disdain for corporate America” and indicated “he’s frustrated with the health care system in the United States,” NYPD Chief of Detective Joe Kenny told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.

“Specifically, he states how we are the No. 1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet the life expectancy of an American is ranked 42 in the world,” Kenny said.

Whether Mangione has a personal connection to UnitedHealthcare is unknown, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, but the writings mention UnitedHealthcare by name, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The sources described the handwriting as sloppy and included these quotes: “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

Mangione — who was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 slaying — remains in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections pending his extradition to New York.

The NYPD was “thrilled” to get the call from Altoona police that they had a person of interest in custody, Tisch told “GMA.”

Kenny said “the key to this case” was releasing the photo of the suspect’s face to the media and the public.

“That picture reached Pennsylvania,” where Mangione was recognized at a McDonald’s on Monday morning, Kenny said.

“We are grateful as a city to that person,” Tisch said.

“We had collected early in the investigation some forensic evidence, some DNA evidence, some fingerprints, so we were very confident that we were ultimately going to get to the right person,” Tisch added.

“We do have a lot of evidence in this case,” Tisch told “GMA.”

Mangione was apprehended “in possession of the same New Jersey fake identification that was used” to check into a hostel on New York’s Upper West Side before Thompson was gunned down, she said.

The gun Mangione was allegedly found with on Monday “looks very similar” to the gun used in the murder, “with a similar suppressor,” Tisch said. “So there’s a lot of reasons that we feel very strongly that he is the person of interest.”

Officers allegedly found a 3D printed pistol and a 3D printed silencer, according to the criminal complaint filed in Pennsylvania.

“The pistol had one loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jack rounds. There was also one loose nine-millimeter hollow point round,” the complaint said.

Kenny described the weapon as a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number and was untraceable.

Mangione, a Maryland native and Ivy League graduate, has been charged in New York with second-degree murder, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon.

He was charged with five crimes in Pennsylvania, including carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing “instruments of crime,” according to the criminal complaint.

Mangione’s family said in a statement that they’re “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”

The Pennsylvania State Police is asking for the public’s help piecing together Mangione’s travel in Pennsylvania. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-4PA-TIPS.

Police are also looking at Mangione’s travel at various points across the United States and out of the county within the past year, sources said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump’s impending inauguration as the next president does not impact his $454 million civil fraud judgment, a lawyer for New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a letter to the president-elect’s lawyer Tuesday.

Trump and his adult sons liable owe approximately $490 million including interest in their civil fraud case after a judge ruled last year that they repeatedly inflated Trump’s net worth to secure better loan terms over a decade of business dealings. Trump has appealed the ruling.

Because presidents do not have immunity from civil litigation, James plans to continue defending her judgment against Trump during his appeal of the case, the letter said.

“The ordinary burdens of civil litigation do not impede the President’s official duties in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution,” New York Deputy Solicitor General Judith Vale wrote in a letter to D. John Sauer, Trump’s appellate lawyer and nominee for solicitor general.

Last month, Sauer requested that James drop her civil case against Trump to “cure” partisan divides and improve “the health of our Republic.”

“In the aftermath of his historic election victory, President Trump has called for our Nation’s partisan strife to end, and for the contending factions to join forces for the greater good of the country. This call for unity extends to the legal onslaught against him and his family that permeated the most recent election cycle,” Sauer wrote, citing the recent dismissal of Trump federal election interference and classified documents cases.

Vale rejected the request, saying in her letter that there is “no merit to your claim that the pendency of defendants’ own appeal will impede Mr. Trump’s official duties as President.”

Because the New York attorney general’s case is civil, James faces no restriction in continuing to pursue her case as Trump returns to the White House.

“Accordingly, the various actions taken by the Special Counsel’s office or the District Attorney’s Office of New York County in the respective criminal cases brought by those offices against Mr. Trump are irrelevant here,” Vale’s letter said.

A ruling on Trump’s appeal of the judgment could come at any time.

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(LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, Pa.) — Police in Pennsylvania are searching for the gunman wanted for killing a young man and critically wounding his mother during a home invasion in an upscale Philadelphia suburb, officials said.

Bernadette Gaudio, 61, and her son, Andrew Gaudio, 25, were both shot multiple times at their home in Lower Merion Township around 2:20 a.m. Sunday, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said.

Bernadette Gaudio managed to call 911 after she was shot, DA Kevin Steele said at a news conference.

It appears Andrew Gaudio “fought back and tried to help his mom,” Steele said.

He died from his wounds and Bernadette Gaudio was hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.

Police are searching for Kelvin Roberts, 42, of Philadelphia, who is wanted on charges including second-degree murder, robbery and burglary, the DA’s office said.

Police are also looking for a second unidentified person who was involved in the home invasion, Steele said.

“We’re dealing with dangerous people,” Steele said.

It’s not clear if the crime was targeted or random, Steele said, adding that the break-in appeared to be through the basement.

Police zeroed in on Roberts from dash-cam footage from a Lower Merion police car that showed “a white Hyundai Azera, driven by Roberts, leaving the scene of the homicide,” the DA’s office said.

Police matched the Hyundai Azera to an address on Sansom Street in Philadelphia, officials said. At that address, police showed a photo from the dash-cam footage to someone who identified the driver as Kelvin Roberts, the DA’s office said.

Bernadette Gaudio’s stolen jewelry box was found at the Sansom Street residence, Steele said.

As for Bernadette Gaudio’s condition, Steele said she “seems to be moving in the right direction, so we’re hopeful that she will survive.”

Bernadette Gaudio’s 2004 Green Jeep Cherokee, which was stolen during the home invasion, was recovered on Sunday in West Philadelphia, the district attorney’s office said.

A $5,000 reward is available for information leading to Roberts’ arrest, authorities said.

ABC News’ Ben Stein contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The carbon footprint from the travel industry is growing at rates never seen before, according to new research.

An increasing demand for international travel over the past decade has led to higher rates of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to a paper published in Nature Communications on Tuesday.

Greenhouse gas emissions from international tourism are growing at a rate of 3.5% every year — about twice as fast as the overall economy, Ya-Yen Sun, an associate professor at The University of Queensland in Australia and an author of the study, told ABC News.

In the top 20 countries associated with the highest tourism emissions, tourism may be growing “too fast” — up to 5% every year — which is causing those regions to expend more energy to provide services to more visitors, Sun said.

There are also disparities in per-capita tourism emissions, with the 20 highest-emitting countries — including the United States, China and India — contributing three-quarters of the total carbon footprint, the paper found. 

Modes of transportation, including air and ground travel, are particular contributors to emissions given their carbon-intensive nature, according to the paper. Slow gains in the efficiency of technology have also contributed to the rise in emission rates from global tourism, the researchers said.

While travel halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism came roaring back with a vengeance once the global health threat subsided, which has flooded the travel sector with even more rapid growth, Sun said.

Travel dropped by 60% during the pandemic, but tourism is expected to have fully recovered by the end of 2024, she added.

“We found this is something [that really needs] a lot of attention, because people just enjoy travel,” Sun said.

Carbon dioxide emissions from private planes have increased significantly in recent years, a separate paper published last month in the journal Communications Earth & Environment found.

Annual CO2 emissions from private aviation increased by 46% between 2019 and 2023, according to an analysis of flight tracker data from 18,655,789 private flights flown by 25,993 registered business jet-type private aircraft. Some individuals who regularly use private aviation may produce almost 500 times more CO2 in a year than the average individual, the paper found.

There were significant emissions peaks around certain international events, the study found. COP28 — the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Dubai — was associated with 644 private flights, which produced 4,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, also hosted in the United Arab Emirates, was associated with 1,846 private flights, producing an estimated 14,700 metric tons of CO2, the study found.

However, private aviation only accounts for about 7.9% of total aviation emissions, the paper found.

A previous study that Sun conducted in 2018 found that tourism contributes to about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That number is likely much higher today, Sun said.

“The sector has not made much progress in terms of decarbonizing itself,” she said.

Sun described the findings of the new paper out Tuesday as “quite problematic” because it showcases that emissions from tourism are growing every year,

The paper highlighted the urgent need for effective policy measures to align the tourism sector with global climate goals, the researchers said.

In order to do this, countries will need to begin to monitor tourism emissions at the national level, something that only New Zealand and Denmark are currently doing, Sun said.

It is especially important considering tourism is one of the biggest economic sectors in the world, as people require transportation, food, accommodation and shopping when they travel, Sun said. The global tourism industry was worth an estimated $10 trillion in 2023, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

“We found this is something really in need of a lot of attention, because people just enjoy travel,” Sun said.

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(NEW YORK) — Following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and praise for the attack on social media, law enforcement is on high alert as calls for threats against health care executives and their families become “widespread,” according to a Colorado law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.

The bulletin warned that Thompson’s killing may be used as “messaging and propaganda” to share the techniques and tactics for targeting other health care companies.

“Over the last two years, online activity has indicated a growing negative sentiment around conglomerates, the wealthy, and executive staff at private and public organizations,” the bulletin said. “Calls for targeting the executive team, their families, homes, and places of work using a variety of online and offline means to harass, disrupt, and harm the individuals and the organizations have become widespread.”

The brazen killing of Thompson in New York last week was met with both grief and morbid praise on social media, with some voicing support for the suspected shooter as justified and venting about the healthcare insurance industry.

The bulletin noted the “general social media conversations” that followed Thompson’s killing highlighted the “growing negative sentiment around conglomerates, the wealthy, and executive staff at private and public organizations.”

While law enforcement does not believe Thompson’s killing is part of a trend targeting health executives, the attack underscores the vulnerability of these high-profile executives.

The bulletin called for companies to review their security measures and “to safeguard executives against potential threats stemming from organizational decisions, public grievances, or personal visibility.”

“This attack and the general social media conversations highlight the current threat landscape that individuals with deeply held personal grievances can and do conduct violence to satiate their grievance(s),” the bulletin said.

Luigi Mangione, 26, is facing a second-degree murder charge in New York City in connection with the fatal shooting of Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last week.

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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione is facing a second-degree murder charge in New York City in connection with the brazen shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as new details emerge about the suspect and a potential motive, according to police.

“We do have a lot of evidence in this case,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.

“When he was found he was in possession of the same New Jersey fake identification that was used at the hostel” on New York’s Upper West Side before Thompson was gunned down on Dec. 4, she said.

The gun 26-year-old Mangione was allegedly found with on Monday “looks very similar” to the gun used in the murder, “with a similar suppressor,” Tisch said. “So there’s a lot of reasons that we feel very strongly that he is the person of interest.”

Officers allegedly found a black 3D printed pistol and a black silencer, which was also 3D printed, according to the criminal complaint filed in Blair County, Pennsylvania.

“The pistol had one loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jack rounds. There was also one loose nine-millimeter hollow point round,” according to the complaint.

NYPD Chief of Detective Joe Kenny described the weapon as a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number and was untraceable.

Mangione, who was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday, remains in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections pending his extradition to New York.

The NYPD was “thrilled” to get the call from Altoona police that they had a person of interest in custody, Tisch told “GMA.”

Kenny said “the key to this case” was releasing the photo of the suspect’s face to the media and the public.

“That picture reached Pennsylvania,” where he was recognized at a McDonald’s on Monday morning, he said.

“We are grateful as a city to that person,” Tisch said.

“We had collected early in the investigation some forensic evidence, some DNA evidence, some fingerprints, so we were very confident that we were ultimately going to get to the right person,” Tisch added.

When Mangione was arrested he had several handwritten pages on him that appeared to express a “disdain for corporate America” and indicated “he’s frustrated with the health care system in the United States,” Kenny said.

“Specifically, he states how we are the No. 1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet the life expectancy of an American is ranked 42 in the world,” Kenny said.

Whether Mangione has a personal connection to UnitedHealthcare is unknown, Tisch said, but the writings mention UnitedHealthcare by name, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The sources described the handwriting as sloppy and included these quotes: “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

Police are now looking at Mangione’s travel at various points across the United States and out of the county within the past year, the sources said.

Mangione, a Maryland native and Ivy League graduate, was also charged in New York with possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon.

He was charged with five crimes in Pennsylvania, including carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing “instruments of crime,” according to the criminal complaint.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As Luigi Mangione was handcuffed and placed under arrest in Pennsylvania on Monday, police searched the backpack he’d been carrying and found what they described as a loaded 3D-printed firearm, a suppressor and a single loose bullet.

“Officers located a black 3D-printed pistol and a black silencer,” wrote Tyler Frye and Joseph Detwiler, members of the Altoona Police Department, in a criminal complaint. They described the weapon as having “a metal slide and a plastic handle with a metal threaded barrel.”

“The pistol had one loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jacket rounds. There was also one loose nine-millimeter hollow point round,” the officers wrote. “The silencer was also 3D printed.”

Mangione, whom New York officials charged with second-degree murder in connection with last week’s “brazen” killing of a CEO in Manhattan, was first arrested in Altoona on Monday on charges that included a felony related to the gun, according to the criminal complaint.

Mangione faces a third-degree felony charge for allegedly carrying a concealed firearm without a license, according to the complaint. He also faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly “possessing instruments of crime,” along with three additional Pennsylvania charges related to allegedly lying to police about his identity.

The weapon will now undergo ballistic testing, New York Police Department Chief Joseph Kenny said on Monday. He said information about the weapon had begun coming in from Altoona police and that it appeared to be a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number and was untraceable.

“May have been made on a 3D printer, with the capability of firing a 9 mm round,” Kenny said. “Obviously that will come out during our ballistics testing.”

Kenny said it was too early in the investigation to detail whether the gun could have been made by the suspect or purchased. But the gun and 3D-printed suppressor were “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said following Mangione’s arrest on Monday.

Law enforcement had looked closely last week at what weapon may have been used in the killing, officials said, as the gun’s operation appeared to be somewhat unique in its operation.

Detectives had studied a surveillance video that showed the fatal shooting, saying it appeared to show “that the gun malfunctions, as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” Kenny had said last week.

Police sources told ABC News on Thursday that those apparent malfunctions may point to the weapons being a B&T Station Six, a type of pistol with an integrated silencer that’s known in Great Britain as a Welrod pistol.

Such firearms have long barrels that enables them to fire 9 mm bullets with a nearly silent shot, officials said. They also require manually cycling ammunition from the magazine.

But New York Mayor Eric Adams said untraceable weapons were “extremely dangerous,” adding that there needed to be a federal “clamp down on the availability of ghost guns.”

ABC New’s Aaron Katersky, Peter Charalambous, Mark Crudele and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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(LOS ANGELES) — A brush fire that broke out on Monday evening in Malibu Canyon has led to authorities issuing mandatory evacuation orders in parts of southern California as the fire rapidly spread, authorities said.

The fire began approximately 3 miles north of the Pacific Coastal Highway in Malibu, according to an emergency alert issued by the city of Malibu late Monday.

City officials said the Los Angeles County Fire Department is on scene and trying to control the “rapid rate of spread.”

The fire was reported just before 11 p.m. and was initially estimated at just about 10 acres but, In just about one hour, officials estimated it to have grown to at least 100 acres, according to ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC, and a high volume of dry brush in the area and strong Santa Ana winds means that there is potential for the blaze to continue to spread rapidly.

Evacuations were ordered in the area east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road as well as the Serra Retreat, KABC said.

The fire is currently burning on the hillsides just a few miles away from Pepperdine University but was not immediately encroaching the institution and appeared to be heading south toward Santa Monica, KABC said.

The wildfire was not immediately encroaching on Pepperdine but the university was reporting power outages on campus. It appeared the flames were heading south in the direction of Santa Monica but Pepperdine suspended normal operations on campus on Tuesday.

“Normal operations on the Malibu Campus are suspended for Tuesday,” the university said in a statement on social media. “This includes canceling classes and finals for the day. Critical support personnel should connect with their supervisors about whether they are needed to physically report to the Malibu campus for their regular work shift. All other staff should connect with their supervisors and work remotely if possible. The Pepperdine community continues to shelter in place in Payson Library and the Tyler Campus Center. The Franklin fire has grown to 814 acres and flames are visible from the Malibu campus. There are numerous LA County Fire Department engines on campus and their helicopters are using the lakes in Alumni Park to pick up water to drop on the fire from above.”

“The University understands the worst of the fire has pushed past Pepperdine,” they continued. “However, there are smaller spot fires on campus that are not threatening life or structures, and fire resources remain on campus to address these spot fires as they occur. Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight. The EOC will continue to update the community.”

There are no immediate reports of injuries or structure damage and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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