On January 7, 2025, a storm of wildfires began ravaging through Los Angeles. While it is now completely contained, it was tremendously difficult for firefighters to control a mere 5% due to the Santa Ana winds. People across the world have closely watched California during this disastrous event. Many residents in Los Angeles, including A-list celebrities like Paris Hilton and Heidi Montag, have lost their homes due to the outrageous outbreak of fires. 29 people have died and over 13,000 homes have been destroyed.

While I am not directly affected by these wildfires, I know of two family members directly affected by the Santa Ana winds and the LA wildfires. 

My aunt, Jesselle Farmer, and her family were heavily impacted by the Santa Ana winds that roared through LA. The fires were not near her home, but the winds were violent in her area. However, unlike her neighbors, who had large trees in their backyards, my aunt only had one that was not big enough to the point where anyone would be seriously hurt if it fell. Nevertheless, the winds knocked her tree down in her backyard and destroyed her backyard’s little balcony. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but one of her neighbors had a sizable tree fall on the roof of their house minutes after the family evacuated from their home. Had they been in their home a few minutes longer, someone could have been seriously injured. 

Another one of my family members lives near the fires. Vince Barrios and his family lived in a neighborhood in the middle of the wildfire outbreak. Vince had to evacuate his house with his family. Sadly, all of the houses in the neighborhood burned down– except for his. Through some miracle, his family’s house remained standing. Millie Barrios, Vince’s wife, believes it was through immense prayer that their house out of all the ones in the neighborhood endured. Pictured here is the neighborhood with the fires eating away at the houses.

YLHS student, Carter Gaiss (11), says that these fires have been absolutely devastating to witness; “Seeing all these families’ houses burn down because of these fires has been so heart-wrenching. I can’t imagine losing my house in just a matter of hours.”

Another YLHS student, Claire Severson, thinks these fires have been “one of the most crazy things to ever happen in California yet.” Thankfully, these fires are now contained, but California has much rebuilding to do.