INFORMATION AND RESOURCES ON THE LOS ANGELES FIRES

INFORMATION/PRECAUTIONS:

It is Thursday, January 9th, 2025 at 10PM and thousands of structures have been destroyed, more than 180,000 people forced to evacuate from their homes, multiple dead, and many injured. Please do not leave your home for casual strolls or other day-to-day activities; the air quality is absolutely horrible and WILL impact your health. If you must go outside, please wear a mask (and possibly eye coverings) to protect yourself from the smoke and pollution. Please do not visit the affected areas “just to see what happened”. Those are people's homes, their entire lives as they've built them completely gone (you also can be arrested for entering these areas if you have no connection to them). If you are able to, hose down the general surrounding area of your home; Los Angeles has not received rainfall in over 8 months to it is important to keep your land wet. Home insurance companies have been cutting natural disasters from their protection plans during the last couple of months which has lead many to opt into the California Fair Plan Policy which caps at 3 million dollars per home for all coverages. Check your home insurance to see what is being covered and what isn't. The fires that are currently active are the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, and Hurst fires. Download "Watch Duty" from the app store of your phone to monitor these fires. Don’t hesitate to evacuate if a fire sparks near you.

What to pack in a “go bag” (from the LA Times):

• Water, nonperishable food, and utensils

• Flashlights and extra batteries to go with them

• A first aid kit

• A small fire extinguisher

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, toilet paper, and plastic bags

• A whistle in order to signal for help

• A battery-operated or hand-crank radio

• A printed map of your area

• Face mask (N95/KN95 masks work better for air and smoke pollution)

• Batteries and chargers for your electronics

• Several days worth of clothing (including sturdy, close toed shoes)

• A blanket or sleeping bag

• Comfort items (ex.: stuffed animals, board games, and books)

On top of your “go bag”, pack the “6 P’s”:

• People and pets

• Papers and phone numbers, vital documents such as birth certificates, passports, etc.

• Prescriptions: pill bottles or eyeglasses

• Pictures and personal items

• Personal computers

• Plastics: your ID, credit/debit card, and cash

RESOURCES AND MORE:

Evacuation Centers:

• Westwood Recreation Center

• Pan Pacific Recreational Center

• El Camino Real Charter High School

• Pasadena Convention Center

• Arcadia Community Center

• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center

• If you are able to provide housing for loved ones evacuating, please do. 

Animal Shelters:

• Los Angeles Equestrian Center

• Carson Animal Care Center

• Downey Animal Care Center

• Pico Rivera Sports Arena

• Baldwin Park Animal Care Center

• Pasadena Humane Society

• Agoura Animal Care Center

• Pierce College Equestrian Center (CURRENTLY FULL)

• There are many many many hotels in the Hollywood area that are pet friendly

• Wild and domesticated animals escaping the fires might roam into your street or neighborhood. Please be mindful of their presence and avoid being violent against them.

Where to donate clothing and toiletries to (from Teen Vogue):

• Baby2Baby

• Set Active

• LA Dream Center

• YMCA

• Celebration Nation

• Materials and Applications

• The LA Mission

• Bike Oven

• The Los Angeles Chargers

• ColourPop

• Stadium Fitness

• Well Cloth’d

• 818 Night Market

• Stoney Clover

• Stories Books and Cafe

• Seconds Market

• @fashions4futures on Instagram

• @ax2collective on Instagram

• @bestwishes_la on Instagram

• @riseagain.resources on Instagram

• @secondsmarket on Instagram

• MOST SHELTERS ACCEPT DONATIONS OF SLEEPING BAGS/PADS, CLOTHING, FUEL, AND DEHYDRATED MEALS (according to LA Times)

• I urge you to clean out your closets and lend clothing as well as supplies directly to loved ones who have been affected by the fires.

Organizations to donate to/support:

• The Red Cross

• World Central Kitchen

• California Community Foundation

• Direct Relief

• The California Fire Foundation

What certain companies are offering:

• Planet Fitness (NO MEMBERSHIP NEEDED)

  • Showers, WiFi, Charging Stations 

• AirBnb

  • Free, temporary housing for people who have been displaced

• Uber

  • Free rides for evacuees (Code: WILDFIRE25)

• Lyft

  • Free rides for evacuees (Code: CAFIRERELIEF25)

• AT&T

  • Unlimited talk, text, and data through Feb. 6

Suicide and Crisis Hotline

• Phone number is 988

• This is an extremely stressful and traumatizing time for many. Please reach out to loved ones and check in on people. 

Check out gofundme.com to donate to families in need.

Reach out to me to share clothing/toiletry drives as well as what companies may be offering in aid of the fire. 

Thank you firefighters and officials for all your work. 

I’m sending my condolences to all who have lost loved ones and/or been displaced. 

Please stay safe and take care of yourselves. You are not alone.

Sending Everybody my Best,

Eila

Blog portion:

One of the first memories of my life was a fire. I remember bits and pieces of other things but this is the first full memory. I was a young girl, sitting in my mothers room, watching her do her makeup, when I smelled smoke. I immediately told my mother and we rushed out of her room down the stairs. As we ran down the stairs I looked up, through a window, to see my neighbor’s house engulfed in flames. We made our way outside as we grabbed everything important to us (I was personally holding my baby blanket) and watched as firefighters arrived and swarmed our home, some standing on our roof to prevent the fire from travelling. It was a terrifying thing to see at such a young age. 

It was Tuesday, January 7th, afternoon, 2:35PM, when my mom texted me asking if one of my friend’s houses was okay. To that I responded, “Why would it not be okay?”. It was soon enough afterwards that I learned their town was on fire. I immediately began to send text messages to everybody I knew who lived in the Pacific Palisades. I wasn’t even sure how large the impact was at that point in time. 

I went to my friend's home that night and we watched the fire maps and news for hours on end. Tuesday night, 8PM, was when I saw the Eaton fire had begun. I texted one of my closest friends to stay safe and hoped for her safety. My friend and I  lit an Ekoko, a Peruvian doll that smokes cigarettes/incense in order to rid you of your worries, and prayed. I went home that night and sat with my father, prayer beads in hand, and prayed; It was all we could do in the moment. I went to sleep Tuesday night, prayer beads in hand, and prayed for all the people in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena to be protected from the fires.

I woke up early the next morning to attend an appointment. When I stepped out of my house and  looked up, I saw that the entire sky was orange and full of smoke; not one patch of clear air. On the way to my appointment, I could see the Altadena fires and the view was genuinely apocalyptic. Nobody was driving east. All cars were either moving west or south. When I returned home I was sick to my stomach from the air quality (425/500) and in fear for my friends/loved ones who live in the areas affected. One of my closest friends came over to console me and find some comfort from each other when we discovered the devastating news that two of my closest friends had lost their homes to the fires. These are the friends and their families that I’m so close with that I consider their families an extension of mine. I've been attached to the hip with one of these friends since we were 13 years old. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear that they had lost their homes and their life, as they've built it, in their homes to the fires. 

My friend and I were sitting on my couch watching the news and trying to monitor the fires when, I kid you not, a reporter said “Oh, by the way, a fire just broke out in the Hollywood Hills”. That just so happens to be a location that I live quite close to. We ran upstairs to see the fire from a window and let's just say it was definitely present. I called all my friends in the area and warned them of the fires. For most of my friends, my friend and I were the people to tell them the news of the Hollywood Hills being on fire. I started to freak out as I tried to find ways to rationalize packing up my entire life to flee my home. You would think years of having divorced parents would make packing essentials easier but that was not the case. My friend left my home, I finished packing, and began to take care of my dog. I swear I have never seen my dog more terrified in my entire life. Something between my family screaming and running around the house must have triggered something in her. I put her on a leash, packed some of her food, and rushed her to our car. We packed our car and left. Every street was full of West Hollywood residents fleeing their homes and moving south. 

We evacuated safely and stayed at our family friend's home last night. That was where I learned a small fire broke out right next to my school. I was absolutely terrified but luckily the fire was contained quickly. I went to sleep that night praying again but not knowing the possible fate of my home in the morning. 

I'm so grateful to say I picked up my phone this morning and saw that the Sunset fire was being contained and my home was safe. I'm so grateful to say that all my friends/loved ones are safe and healthy despite having lost their homes to a fire; this is something I know some are unable to say.