By Tyler Jung
The Mirror
Online Editor-In-Chief
NEWS
And Darkness Fell Over the Land
December 6, 2017
LOS ANGELES: Ventura fires and resulting smoke causes changes in school routine.
Waking up on Tuesday, you probably realized the sudden reddish darkness that covered the sky in the morning. If not, you eventually did when you reached Van Nuys High School.
The inferno environment became painted by the reddish smoke choking out the sky, falling ash and particles, and the inescapable smell of smoke. These conditions were prevalent and all experienced as students came into campus Tuesday morning.
It all started 4:30 am when a series of brush fires ignited near the 405 freeway in the Ventura County. With immediate response to contain and prevent damage, firefighters got onto scene at dawn. By morning, the effects were already prominent as combined with the Santa Ana winds, the fires became a sizable foe.
At Van Nuys precautions were made in light of the air quality. A good amount of students were taken out and picked up by concerned parents who did not want their child’s health to be compromised for their education.
Van Nuys High School implemented several safety procedures to protect the remaining students from exposure to the air as much as possible. A lock-down procedure was made during nutrition and lunch to keep students inside classrooms. The office passed out masks to students to further ensure protection outside on campus grounds.
LAUSD has already made several actions to cancel schools in certain areas that were evacuated by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The list of schools can be found on their website home.lausd.net. Much to student’s disapproval, several schools were left open despite the air conditions.
A considerable amount of absences were recorded the following day as many students and their parents overruled that their safety is more important.
As the fire continues to threaten some major cities and areas, such as most recently: UCLA, Van Nuys will remain open and will be taking several safety implementations to prevent student’s health from being compromised.