Firefighters in the United States are battling a wildfire in Malibu, California, near Pepperdine University, leading to the evacuation of about 6,000 people and more than 2,000 buildings, according to local media.

Students sheltering in the Pepperdine Library early Tuesday watched the sky turn a deep red.

“Just watching the flames grow and seeing the bright red color of the fire getting brighter and brighter — that was so scary,” student Gabrielle Salgado told KABC-TV. The university later said the worst of the fire had already spread across campus.

It was not immediately known how the blaze, dubbed the Franklin Fire, started. However, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials estimated that more than 7.2 square kilometers (2.8 square miles) had burned and structures were at risk.

A damage estimate was not available, but “it’s certain that some homes will definitely be severely damaged,” Matt Myerhoff, a spokesman for the city of Malibu, told KABC-TV.

The fire ignited amid dangerous seasonal fire conditions due to Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds.

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate last month after a wildfire northwest of Los Angeles spread flames to ranches and neighborhoods and destroyed dozens of homes.

On Tuesday, Pepperdine canceled classes and final exams for the day and ordered a curfew. Fire engines were deployed on campus and helicopters dropped water on the fire from lakes in the school’s Alumni Park.

“The university recognizes that Pepperdine has put the worst of the fire behind it. However, there are small, isolated fires on campus that do not threaten lives or buildings, and fire resources remain on campus to combat these isolated fires as they occur,” Pepperdine wrote in an online statement.

By Monday evening, power was off for tens of thousands of people as utilities worked to mitigate the impact of the Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.

Santa Anas are dry, warm, gusty northeast winds that blow toward and offshore from the interior of Southern California. They typically occur in the fall months and continue through the winter and into early spring.

The National Weather Service issued a high fire danger and rare “particularly hazardous situation” (PDS) warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties Monday through Tuesday from 8 p.m.

The LA County Fire Department issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents living east of Malibu Canyon Road and south of Piuma Road.