
CYNDI CHIOU / DAILY NEXUS
This article was written on Jan. 12. The information regarding the fires is subject to change, given that the fires are still developing.
There are fires at home, and I’m in Santa Barbara, Isla Vista to be exact, sitting in my apartment 100 miles away while my mom texts me about how the skies are bright orange in San Gabriel. Shetells me that the distant view from the upstairs window is spectacularly horrifying, fiery embers and burnt clouds scattered across the horizon. Smoke billowing and consuming anything in its path. She sends me a picture of our backyard that has been thrust into disarray by the high winds, plants and patio furniture spewed across the concrete, camera lenses filtered with the hazy glow of the orange skies. I see pictures of trees fallen on houses and cars, the branches poking through windows and shattered glass on the sidewalk.
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, a combination of powerful Santa Ana winds and dry conditions sparked a series of wildfires across the Los Angeles area, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. The first fire began in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal community in Los Angeles. At the time this is being written, the cause for the Palisades fire is still unknown.
As the winds continue to blow, fires have continued to spark across Los Angeles — Kenneth in West Hills, Hurst in Sylmar, Lidia in Antelope Valley and Eaton in Pasadena, the latter having absolutely devastated a community I consider my home.
Eaton burst into flames Tuesday night, impacting the Altadena area in North Pasadena. By Wednesday, Jan. 8, over 100,000 people were under mandatory evacuation, and an additional 100,000 people under warning. The Eaton fire has burned almost 14,000 acres and damaged over 7,000 structures. The Los Angeles County medical examiner office reported that 25 people have lost their lives in the fires, with 17 victims being from Altadena. Eaton is now considered to be one of the deadliest fires in California history.
I’ve spent my entire life in the San Gabriel Valley, a tight-knit community consisting of multiple cities in the East Los Angeles area, including Pasadena. Pasadena holds a special place in my heart — it’s where I was born, where I grew up and where I spend the majority of my time today, despite moving 15 minutes away to the city of San Gabriel in 2007. Pasadena is where I learned to ride a bike at five and drive at 16. It’s where I took my prom pictures and went on my first date. I used to marvel at the grand houses in the picturesque Altadena neighborhoods, which are now unrecognizable. I would eat breakfast at Fox’s on Lake Avenue, which is now one of multiple local restaurants lost to the fire.
I’m devastated because the city I love is burning. Every time I close my eyes, I see the images of houses engulfed in flames and trees either ripped from their roots by the wind or burnt to crisp. And while the area my family lives in is safe, I still have nightmares about the fire spilling into my living room, my street, the world I call home.
It hurts to be away from home right now. It’s strange to learn about devastating things from garbled phone calls and delayed text messages, blurry photos and shaky videos. Flames behind the Santa Anita mall. My fourth grade teacher’s house burnt to the ground. Social media reposts and breaking news alerts. People sleeping on the floor at the Pasadena Convention Center.
I hear that the world still smells like smoke, and my mom’s frantically searching for an air purifier to clear the suffocating smog lingering inside the house. The cars parked in the driveway are dusted with ash. The power goes out at night, and the water isn’t safe to drink anymore.
I watch the news on mute during lecture and see that the streets I drove through just last week are now nonexistent, either engulfed in flames or completely incinerated. My mom texts me that someone drove through Hastings Ranch and took a video of the now-destroyed houses. I’m a little lost for words because the video is so horrifying that it seems fictional, the aftermath of hot, red flames turning once-vibrant neighborhoods into a dystopian nightmare. She reassures me that our neighborhood is safe and my family won’t have to evacuate, but it’s hard to feel relieved when Hastings Ranch is only 15 minutes away, the skies look as orange as they do and the winds continue to blow.
I have been consumed by constant, continuous grief and guilt because all I can do is watch. I watch Altadena burn from my college apartment bedroom and 9:30 a.m. lectures, and there’s nothing I want more than to give the people impacted a big hug, to breathe in the smoke my neighbors have inhaled so I can be with them and take on some of the burden and suffering that has consumed the lives of my community.
While I am eternally grateful that my family in San Gabriel remains safe, I am devastated by the loss suffered across Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated and displaced. Schools, businesses and institutions are gone, family homes are destroyed. I can’t even begin to fathom the nightmare of losing your home, having to start over from scratch. For so many, that nightmare is their new reality.
Despite this, I’m constantly reminded of the undying strength within my community and the neighborly drive to help those in need. In the past few days, I have witnessed so much love amidst heartbreak — friends and family opening their homes to those forced to evacuate, people sharing resources with one another and organizations providing aid, donations and support.
My heart goes out to anyone affected by the fires — families forced to evacuate their homes, firefighters putting their lives in danger on the frontlines, volunteers working tirelessly at evacuation sites, people living in fear that their city might be next.
But if there’s one thing about Angelenos, it’s that we’re resilient. While this loss is devastating, the support intertwined through the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles area gives me faith that we will bounce back from this tragedy.
There are fires at home, and I’m not there, but I continue to be inspired by the strength of my community.
Lauren Chiou urges everyone to support those affected by the Los Angeles fires — text loved ones, donate and volunteer if able.
Helpful resources:
- MALAN Fire & Wind Storm Resources
- LAFD Fire Zone Map
- World Central Kitchen Meal Distribution
- American Red Cross
- California Fire Foundation
A version of this article appeared on p. 9 of the January 14, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.