Tragedy strikes in Southern California. More than 12,000 homes have been burned down or ruined. As of January 14, 2025, 24 deaths were caused by the fire and a death toll may be up to thousands of deaths caused by toxic smoke, but it doesn’t show signs of stopping. Although California, in past years, has had hundreds or even thousands of fires, these recent fires have been deemed as the most destructive yet. The news of devastating occurrences has spread from coast to coast.
Countless residents of the Palisades and surrounding areas including Los Angeles, Malibu, and Eaton, have suffered from losing not only their homes and cars but more importantly, memories they have collected over the years. Some residents have lived in their homes for decades that turned into piles of ashes in minutes. Homeowners have been reported to use their hoses and buckets of water to save their homes. Thousands of families have been ordered to evacuate, but traffic has been impossible to get out of harm’s way. Multiple men and women left their cars and started walking or biking trying to get to a safe place. Although they need to leave, many families don’t know where they are going. With their home unsupervised, many homes have been “looted” by people who steal the remaining things in the house that have been left behind. Videos on popular social media platforms have videos of people stealing televisions, purses, and clothes, to take for themselves or to resell. Even though there are multiple cases of people being brought into custody and being charged with burglary, it hasn’t stopped the problem completely. News outlets have had live interviews of the residents who are not knowing their next move, but just trying to get back up on their feet. The state has asked others to stay until further notice, hopefully improving the backup. Not only did people lose their homes, but schools, landmarks, and iconic pieces have been in the path of the fire, unfortunately being consumed by the fire. At least twelve schools have been victims of the fire. Many children are now stripped from learning, and teachers from jobs. With school being in for months, everyone must start from square one. Many schools or teachers have opened a GoFundMe in hopes of rebuilding their classrooms one brick at a time.
Wendy Hager, a former guidance counselor and an alumnus of Pepperdine University, talks about the feeling of hearing the news that her college in Malibu could be in danger. “Like everyone else, I was made aware of the fires through the news. However, my social media has been filled with pictures and links to give aid through my college connections. I have college roommates, sorority sisters, and college friends who had to evacuate. Many students and professors, who rented, have been displaced and have lost their homes and all of their belongings.” Like others in that area, the places they loved have been burned down. Hager says, “It was hard to see and hear about establishments that burnt to the ground that were college hangouts and places where birthday parties, dates, and sorority mixers took place.”
With speculation of how the fire started, some speculate that it was not an accident. The police are investigating the possibility of the fire being started by an act of arson. Nevertheless, the fires have increased in severity because of the rapid winds. Sources say that the winds have been up to 70 miles per hour (112.654 kilometers per hour) and have no sign of slowing down. “The Santa Ana Winds, which contributed to this inferno disaster are dangerous. I’ve experienced them first hand and they currently aren’t yet at rest,” Hager stated. Having these winds, there’s no way of knowing if the homeowners are in the trail of the fire, having a gamble of if they are safe or not. The mix of the hot and dry climate and the mix of winds, results in a deadly and destructive end product.
As time goes on students are slowly starting to attend school if they can. “My sorority sister’s son is currently attending our alma mater and is required to return to school with masks,” Hager explains. “Air Quality has the state declaring an official ‘Public Health Crisis.” With these conditions, residents aren’t happy with the 2.7% cut of the spending at the Los Angeles Fire Department made by Mayor Karen Bass. Many people have bashed Mayor Bass. Firefighters have reported having no water in the fire hydrants. Firefighters have been trying their best to save what they can. While helping others, they may have suffered from sleepless nights and injuries themselves.
While people are struggling, animals also feel the wrath of these flames. Because of the quickness and urgency many domesticated animals, like dogs or cats, have to fend for themselves. Animals from the woods have had to flee from their “home.” Both wild and domestic animals have been severely burnt by the fires. Cats have been seen with curled-up whiskers, raccoons with missing fur, and countless open wounds from any animal harmed by this fire.
The extremes are taking over the United States with below-negative temperatures and snow on the East Coast and broiling conditions on the West Coast. Unity of the communities is evident, with many residents helping nearby neighbors. People continue to push through this difficult time. These fires show that Mother Nature has no mercy and that people should be aware of the risks and try to find solutions to prevent deaths and losses in the future. Please do your best to help by finding some way to donate to families, shelters, schools, and other organizations to help California recover from this devastation.