The Region - News from Feb. 7, 1986

Pepperdine University was sued for $1.1 million by Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., which said it and two subsidiaries face property damage claims because of last summer’s Baldwin Hills fire that began in a brushy area owned by the university. The City of Los Angeles was also named as a defendant, said the Seattle law firm filing the Los Angeles Superior Court suit, because it failed to enforce its own weed abatement ordinance. A city Bureau of Street Maintenance spokesman said Pepperdine was notified last February and in mid-June to clear the lot, but the school obtained an extension until July 7 so it could use its own personnel to do the job. The July 2 fire killed three people and destroyed or damaged 66 homes.