Reflections Amid the Ashes: My Experience with the LA Fires

This week has been surreal, devastating, and eye-opening all at once. It all began with the wind on Tuesday, gusting fiercely through our dry Southern California air—a reminder of just how brittle our environment has become. Pasadena, where I live on the west side near the Rose Bowl, felt the effects immediately. The winds carried more than whistling on the rafters; they carried the kindling for the fires that would soon wreak havoc across our region.

By Wednesday night, we received the evacuation order. My mom, Bella, 2 dogs, and I packed up and left for K-Town in downtown LA, leaving behind our recently renovated and our home and the almost-finished house we’ve been building. The 210 Freeway became a barrier of hope; if it weren’t for that line of concrete, the fire could have reached our home.

But we were the fortunate ones. Reports began pouring in—friends losing their homes, some modest middle-class houses near the Eaton Fire, others multimillion-dollar estates in the Palisades. The destruction is indiscriminate, and the heartbreak is universal. In LA, where property values are sky-high, homes are not just places to live—they are decades of dreams and sacrifice turned to ash in moments.

We returned home Thursday to chaos. Fire engines and police were everywhere. The sun glowed an ominous red through a sky thick with smoke. Entire neighborhoods, just meters from us, were gone. The air was suffocating, and my body, already weak from recovering from a cold, couldn’t handle the toxins. I found myself in and out of urgent care, my lungs screaming in protest. The landscape of Pasadena, once familiar with its tropical streets and vibrant life, was now foreign and unrecognizable.

As I watched the news and analyzed the situation through apps and my own data, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the layers of impact this fire will leave behind. Economically, the ripple effects on real estate and local businesses are unfathomable. Entire communities are grappling with loss and uncertainty. Some are already making plans to rebuild, while others are paralyzed by questions about insurance and the sheer enormity of starting over.

I find myself stuck between praise and blame. The firefighting efforts have saved countless lives, and yet I can’t help but wonder—are we truly doing everything we can as a society? The real heroes are on the ground, battling the flames and comforting those in despair, but leadership at all levels must step up to confront the larger issues that fuel these disasters.

And then there’s the environment. Fires like these are not random acts of nature; they are warnings. Our choices—personal, commercial, and societal—are part of the story. I think about my own habits: the plastic I buy, the energy I use, the flights I take without a second thought. Even the technology I advocate for, like AI, carries a hidden cost in energy consumption.

The fires have forced me to confront these contradictions. Nature does not care about our intentions. It reacts to how we treat it, and this devastation is a reaction long in the making. The only redemption lies in how we move forward—in the changes we choose to make.

For now, I remain in limbo. My mom doesn’t want to leave. I want to help but know I can’t be outside long enough to make a difference. I think of the children whose homes are now memories, the grandparents whose dreams have been reduced to rubble. It’s hard to make sense of it all.

But if I’m learning anything, it’s this: Our relationship with the earth is one of reciprocity. We cannot keep taking and expect nothing in return. If there’s one small comfort, it’s knowing that change is within our control, even in the face of something as devastating as this.

For those asking me how I’m doing, the answer is complicated. My heart breaks for my community, but my resolve to act—both personally and professionally—has never been stronger.

Let’s not wait for the next fire to start making a difference.

Link on article on how to help (and what to watch out for): https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-to-help-victims-los-angeles-wildfires-rcna187274