On January 7th, wildfires engulfed the city of Los Angeles. The fires, caused by a lengthy drought and ferocious winds, wreaked havoc on the Palisades and downtown Los Angeles neighborhoods. Over 12,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and more than 200,000 people evacuated. With damages estimated to be over 20 billion dollars, reconstruction of the city could take years. While firefighters continue to wrangle the still-burning fires and Angelenos grieve, SCH students with connections to the city look on in horror.
Connor Murphy ‘25, a Los Angeles native who moved to Philadelphia at the age of fourteen, mentioned he was “horrified.” He said, “Everywhere I spent my childhood with my friends is gone. The places I went to on the weekends, as well as my friends’ houses. Everything is gone.”
Although Murphy doesn’t have immediate family in the city, he mentioned that his “godmother, family friends, and childhood friends… will not be able to return to their normal lives for some time.” Luckily, Murphy said everyone he knows in the city was able to make it out safely.
Another Senior, Sam Tonkon, also mentioned that he was from Los Angeles. Born in Beverly Hills, Tonkon called the fires “extremely scary and very dangerous,” especially because his grandmother lives in the city. Thankfully, Tonkon’s grandmother is unharmed.
These horrific events in Los Angeles have been met with an outstanding show of unity by the city, country, and world. Firefighters from Mexico and Canada have poured into the city to aid a fire department deeply in need of manpower. Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado have also committed state resources and fire crews. While these teams of firefighters work to put out the blazes, companies, charities, and citizens have been raising funds to rebuild the devastated city. The website Go-FundMe has already raised more than 100 million dollars for fire victims. Organizations like the Red Cross are dispersing much-needed aid. Murphy also mentioned that, “the people of Los Angeles that are not in danger are hosting those that don’t have houses to stay in.” “Nothing is good there,” he said, but there “is hope that LA can unify itself.”
Los Angeles needs all the help it can get. So how can the SCH community help?
Sam Tonkon wondered if “the Service Council could help by doing one of their drives they tend to do.” Connor Murphy said, “SCH students should donate to LA nonprofits that support people that have been relocated. There are clothing drives, food drives, all drives. You can donate and help fund items that go to people who have lost their livelihood in this fire.” Go to https://lacity.gov/LAstrong for a list of charitable organizations.
Alex Topping | Feb 6, 2025 at 10:16 am
Great insight, Julien! good work.