The Getty Fire erupted around 1:30 a.m. along the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass near the Getty Center.
Students were woken up by resident assistants shortly after the wind-driven flames threatened the university. Drivers heading out of the hillside community stopped to offer rides to students who were donning masks and carrying backpacks.
The fire quickly began burning up a hillside near campus.
The blaze exploded to more than 600 acres by noon and has destroyed at least seven homes while threatening thousands more.