More than 800 students at the University of Colorado Boulder are from the area of Los Angeles that’s been ravaged by wildfires in the last week.

The fires started on Jan. 7 and have since killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, according to reporting from the Associated Press.

“The devastating wildfires in Southern California are impacting hundreds of our CU Boulder community members,” CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz wrote in an online message. “My deepest sympathy goes to all of those affected by the fires. CU Boulder is committed to supporting our community’s needs during this time.”

The university is still assessing the full impact on students’ ability to return to campus. The first day of the spring semester was on Monday.

“We have heard from students who have had to adjust their travel plans,” spokesperson Deborah Méndez-Wilson wrote in an email. “Some are driving back to Colorado rather than flying due to flight cancellations. Other students are asking for academic support and advocacy. To assist members of the CU Boulder community during this difficult time, university staff members are reaching out to students, their families, and CU Boulder faculty and staff with Los Angeles addresses to offer resources and support.”

The university is asking faculty and staff to grant flexibility to impacted students on attendance, assignment deadlines, research participation and other academic work. And, it’s asking everyone on campus to be flexible with and support impacted faculty and staff regarding teaching, research and creative work, deadlines and service commitments. CU Boulder does offer options for leave for employees impacted by natural disasters.

The Division of Student Affairs at CU Boulder has a link on its webpage where students seeking support can fill out a form.

“Campus leaders have reached out to their counterparts at UCLA, USC, and CalTech to offer moral and material support for their communities and research missions, and will continue to do so as we learn of impacts to other partners,” Schwartz wrote.

He added that many CU Boulder faculty, staff and students also know family, friends and colleagues affected by the fires or evacuations.

For others, he said, the situation may stir painful memories of the Marshall Fire and other tragedies across the nation and the world.

Schwartz also shared ways to give and help the victims of the fire. For more information, visit colorado.edu/chancellor/newsletter/newsletter/southern-california-wildfires.