On January 7th, one of the worst and deadliest fires to impact Los Angeles County, erupted. Since then, several fires have been burning (as of January 16) in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton areas of Los Angeles County, destroying hundreds of homes and buildings. The fires are due to the extreme Santa Ana winds that have caused the fires to spread so quickly. Officials report that thousands of state personnel have been deployed to the area to try and control the fire, including some from San Diego. Two of the more destructive fires, the Eaton and the Palisades Fires, have been added to the state’s list of most destructive wildfires, and rightly so. Almost 180,000 people were ordered to evacuate more than 200,000 others facing warnings. Acres upon acres of homes, buildings, and structures have been burned, and at 25 fatalities, the death toll is only continuing to rise. La Jolla High School sophomore, Linnea Young, speaks on her ties to the devastations in LA, “My dad’s close friends live there and had to evacuate. They most likely lost their home and we’re all really sad, and if I was in that situation I would be so stressed out. I’m just praying for them and everyone affected.”
Due to the intense number of people who have lost everything, several organizations in the LA area are accepting donations for victims and a massive number of people have been volunteering to help. The librarian at La Jolla High School, Care Kelley, agreed to let ASB put donation bins within the library, for anything that people are willing to donate. Items such as clothing, toys, bedding, books, toiletries, are all welcome, and Kelley said she even donated pet bedding. She says, “I think everyone who needs the help should get it, as much as possible.” As a last comment to those dealing with the fires, she says, “It’s where I was born and went to high school, so my heart goes out to them.”
As much of Los Angeles is facing tragic destruction, wind warnings return and firefighters stand ready, scientists say it is the effect that climate change has on Southern California that led up to this disaster. Despite citizen’s concerns, it doesn’t seem as though the fires will reach San Diego, although we may be affected by smoke, according to meteorologists and health experts.
