A wooden cross overlooking Malibu, California, somehow survived a sweeping fire unscathed, despite nearly everything around it being destroyed.
Set on a hill above Pepperdine, a private Christian university, the 20-foot cross remained standing as the Franklin Fire blazed across the Santa Monica Mountains this week, FOX Weather reported.
“The paint is waterproof, but not fireproof,” the Sigma Chi fraternity at Pepperdine told FOX Weather.
Six years prior, the fraternity carried the structure up the mountain to replace the previous cross, which burned down in the Woolsey Fire on Nov. 10, 2018.
Students and faculty were moved by the apparent miracle.
“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,” Pepperdine University shared as a caption to its YouTube video on Wednesday.
“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 ignited Monday night, according to Cal Fire.
The blaze has since burned 4,037 acres and is only 35 percent contained.
Cooler weather is helping firefighters battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu which was first discovered late Monday night. https://t.co/qK2gW7UpDC pic.twitter.com/tzYtew6HbR
— USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) December 14, 2024
🔥 #FranklinFire Mapping Update: 4,037 Acres Burned
View our new 3D map on #FireMap. Satellite Hotspots are down, and we’re approaching final containment efforts. Stay safe, and thank you to all the crews working tirelessly.#MalibuFires #MalibuWildfire pic.twitter.com/w6xgqo3jMA— FireMap.live 🔥🌎 (@disaster_db) December 12, 2024
“The fire continues to smolder in steep and very dangerous terrain. Aerial suppression efforts in those areas have been successful in keeping the fire subdued,” Cal Fire said in a written summary statement.
Would you ever visit this cross?
“Cooler weather, higher humidities, as well as the absence of strong winds have assisted firefighting efforts. Damage inspections are ongoing. Priority remains to repopulate evacuated areas as quickly and efficiently safe to do so.”
FRANKLIN FIRE: Video from California shows students sheltering in place at Pepperdine University in Malibu as flames from the Franklin Fire can be seen raging outside a window. MORE: https://t.co/z2SI4HIj5M… #foxweather #franklinfire #california #wildfire pic.twitter.com/kK6fSnWoXK
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) December 10, 2024
Nearly 2,000 firemen are battling the blaze, according to FOX Weather.
3,700 Malibu residents were permitted to return home, but 1,600 remain under mandatory evacuation orders, FOX Weather reported.
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