Campus Alert Archive
SCC

Four Rave Alerts in One Afternoon: How Santiago Canyon College Evacuated 2,500 People Before Canyon Fire 2 Surrounded the Campus

CAwildfireemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 9, 2017, the Canyon Fire 2) swept through Anaheim Hills, threatening Santiago Canyon College and prompting Rancho Santiago Community College District to order a 1:30 PM evacuation of approximately 2,500 students and staff. Four separate Rave Alert text and email messages were sent the first day alone -- the initial campus closure notice, then three road-closure updates guiding people safely off the hill campus as the fire cut off nearby routes. The campus remained closed through Wednesday, October 11, when the Anaheim Fire Department lifted the road closures.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Santiago Canyon College
Community College · CA
~11,000 studentsRave Alert (RSCCD)
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction191 chars
RSCCD URGENT: Canyon Fire near campus. Santiago Canyon College is CLOSING and EVACUATING NOW. Exit campus immediately. Use Jamboree Road. Emergency personnel are on site. More info to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

RSCCD officials ordered the evacuation at approximately 1:30 PM PDT with an estimated 2,500 people on campus
The Rave Alert system allowed officials to send from their cell phones in rapid succession as the fire situation evolved in real time
Jamboree Road was the primary exit route identified in initial alerts; subsequent alerts updated as Canyon roads were closed by fire
UPDATESMS+45 min
Approximate reconstruction198 chars
RSCCD UPDATE: Santiago Canyon Campus is evacuated and closed. Cannon Street is CLOSED by fire. Use Jamboree Road south to Chapman Avenue. Santa Ana College and all other RSCCD locations remain OPEN.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

This road-closure update is one of at least three follow-on alerts sent the afternoon of October 9 per the Rave Mobile Safety case study
The fire moved fast enough to cut off multiple campus access routes, requiring multiple real-time road-closure updates for safe egress
Santa Ana College (the other RSCCD campus) was not in the evacuation zone and explicitly identified as open to avoid confusion
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction220 chars
RSCCD UPDATE: Santiago Canyon College will be CLOSED Tuesday, October 10. All classes and activities are canceled. Continue to monitor RSCCD.edu and your email for further updates on reopening. Santa Ana College is OPEN.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

By evening October 9 it was clear the campus would need to remain closed for at least a day to allow firefighting operations and road clearance
The dual announcement (SCC closed, Santa Ana open) was a consistent pattern in RSCCD communications to minimize disruption to the broader 25,000-student system
Air quality conditions from the fire also factored into the extended closure
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction217 chars
RSCCD: Santiago Canyon College will REOPEN today, Wednesday, October 11. Road closures near campus have been lifted by Anaheim Fire. Classes resume on normal schedule. Please contact your instructor with any concerns.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Anaheim Fire Department formally lifted the road closures that had kept SCC closed, enabling Wednesday reopening
SCC had been within a major evacuation area for the Anaheim Hills fire; the reopening waited on both fire containment and road-clearance verification
Canyon Fire 2 ultimately burned approximately 8,000 acres and destroyed 15 homes in Anaheim Hills
Context

Background

Santiago Canyon College occupies a hilltop campus in Orange, California, in the community of Anaheim Hills -- directly in the path of the Canyon Fire 2) that raced through the area on October 9, 2017. The fire started west of the campusand moved toward it rapidly in high Santa Ana wind conditions. RSCCD used its Rave Alert mass-notification system to send four messages to the campus community over text and email on the first day alone: the initial campus-closing and evacuation order at 1:30 PM, then three successive road-closure updates as access routes around the campus were cut off by the advancing fire. The el Don News, the SCC student newspaper, documented the evacuation in real time. RSCCD communications officials later described how they were able to send alerts directly from their cell phones using Rave, and how the system's speed allowed the campus to mobilize without panic because occupants knew exactly what was happening and where to go. The campus remained closed Monday through Tuesday; it reopened Wednesday, October 11, after the Anaheim Fire Department lifted nearby road closures. The RSCCD posted the incident as a public case study for rapid community-college emergency communications. Canyon Fire 2 ultimately burned approximately 8,000 acres, destroying 15 structures in the Anaheim Hills neighborhoods surrounding the campus.
Analysis

Key Findings

RSCCD sent four Rave Alert messages in one afternoon -- evacuation order plus three road-closure updates -- demonstrating the value of iterative alert updates during a fast-moving wildfire
The hilltop Santiago Canyon campus was within the Canyon Fire 2 evacuation zone; the multi-road-closure scenario tested the alert system's ability to provide real-time routing guidance
RSCCD explicitly contrasted SCC (closed) and Santa Ana College (open) in every alert, reducing system-wide disruption for 25,000+ enrolled students
Rave Mobile Safety publicly cited this incident as a case study for community college wildfire response, helping RSCCD influence peer institutions
Outcome
No injuries at the college. Canyon Fire 2 burned approximately 8,000 acres, destroying 15 structures and damaging about a dozen more. Santiago Canyon College reopened Wednesday, October 11, after road closures nearby were lifted. The Rave Alert system's performance during the evacuation led RSCCD to publicly cite it as a case study for community college emergency preparedness.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Santiago Canyon College Evacuated After Fast-Moving Fire Sweeps Anaheim Hills - el Don News
    eldonnews.org
  2. Student Paper
    Santiago Canyon College Reopens After Canyon Fire Evacuation Lifted - el Don News
    eldonnews.org
  3. Official
    Community College Switches to Rave Alert for Faster Notifications - Rave Mobile Safety
    ravemobilesafety.com
  4. Official
    Community College Sends SMS Alert Messages about Wildfires - Rave Mobile Safety
    ravemobilesafety.com
  5. Source
    Canyon Fire 2 (2017 Canyon Fire) - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
wildfirecanyon-firecaliforniaorange-countyanaheim-hillscommunity-collegerave-alertroad-closureevacuation2017
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion