 History in the Making |
 History in the Making |
Oh wow, everyone,
In the colder months of the year, greater Los Angeles is at risk of being hit by the Santa Ana winds, dry and gusty blasts of desertt air from the Great Basin that can sometimes hit 100 miles per hour! I first witnessed the Santa Anas in action in November of 2011 when they shredded Glendale and Pasadena, but the Santa Ana winds of 2025 were particularly devastating, especially at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains!
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On January 7th, a desert blast tore down trees and power lines, pulled up sidewalks, and damaged homes from the San Gabriel Valley all the way to the coast. That was bad enough on its own, but with very little rain in SoCal during the tail end of 2024, this Santa Ana flow, named for the Santa Ana Canyon where they were regularly observed, brought along Southern California’s next most regular disaster: fire!
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It’s unknown what caused the fire, but a fire broke out nonetheless at 6:18 PM on the night of January 7th. Boosted by the Santa Ana winds, flames tore through the city and rose up to lick the base of the Mount Wilson Observatory! It obliterated 9,413 structures, including the Bunny Museum and Eaton Canyon Nature Center, which gave the blaze its name: Eaton Fire! It was the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history by a long shot. Before this year, the Woolsey Fire of November 2018 had the crown but had only destroyed 17% as many structures. Sadly, many of these structures were homes, which left lots of folks homeless and at least 17 lifeless. By the time the winds finally settled, I went to see if any part of Christmas Tree Lane had survived, but the National Guard had formed a perimeter around the ruined neighborhood to prevent looting! It was shocking, and this was just one of four fires in LA County ignited on January 7, 2025!
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On the one hand, lots of folks were arguing over how this could have happened and who was to blame, but from where I stood on Woodbury Road, I could see stations already set up where those who had lost their homes could come and get food. Fundraisers had been popping up all over social media, soliciting donations for food, clothes, toiletries, and pet supplies, both here and over in the Pacific Palisades where another wildfire had destroyed another 6,831 structures. Yes folks, when disaster strikes, Helpers emerge in droves!
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I’ve been saying #HelpTheHelpers for years, but sometimes there are so many ways to help, it gets overwhelming! One beaver can’t go to all volunteer locations, donate to all fundraisers, or help every single person. But, you know what’s better than getting overwhelmed and doing nothing? Pick one way to help! As it so happened, I knew of a program being organized by Roaming Hunger to feed 600 first responders at their base camp at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Feeding the folks who were fighting the fire seemed like a great way to help!
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Teaming up with The Lime Truck and John Que’s Smokehouse, the group of us worked the dinner shift of January 14th, handing out tacos, burgers, and BBQ sandwiches to over 600 first responders from the police and fire departments, National Guard, Forest Service, and volunteers who had come from as far as Canada and Mexico to help out! Plus, there were several very good dogs onsite to boost morale! The LA Strong Campaign would go on to feed over 3,000 folks!
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There’s a long, tough road ahead for everyone who lost their homes in Altadena, and over in Pacific Palisades, but with the help of great organizers, there are also lots of ways to lend a hand. Although this won’t be the last fire in Los Angeles, it’s nice to see firsthand how Angelenos respond when the Santa Anas come blowing! I’ll keep looking for new opportunities as cleanup and rebuilding commence. As adventures slow down, it’ll be a good time to turn my attention to helping more Helpers, and I encourage you, my favorite readers, to do the same!
Stay cool, everyone!
History in the Making |
History in the Making |