Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl said he was "deeply saddened" by the news that a UC Berkeley student and her parents died this morning (Sunday, 20 Aug) in a Berkeley house fire. Berdahl, who learned of the tragedy en route to campus from Oregon, issued the following statement:

"News of this tragedy is so very, very sad. On behalf of the entire campus community, I wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of those who died. To lose a student and her parents in such a terrible fire is difficult for us all to comprehend. We are, however, enormously thankful to the neighbors who assisted in the rescue of the young woman who survived and to the Berkeley firefighters who responded to the fire."