Hildana Gezahegn ’27, News Staff Writer

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles (Image Courtesy of NBC)

NBC reported in late January that the Santa Ana winds have died down across the Los Angeles area, which has helped firefighters bring around 40,000 acres of wildfires under control. The fires have killed at least 27 people and have destroyed over 12,000 structures, devastating thousands of families that have been forced to leave their homes. Currently, southern California is experiencing its most devastating winter fires in over four decades. In an interview with AP News, University of Colorado professor Jennifer Balch states that “winter wildfires should be an oxymoron” because California wildfires normally peak in the summer and early fall season; however, since 1984, there has been an alarming shift.

Tens of thousands of people have already lost their homes due to the Palisades Fire, which started as a result of the drought condition in California. As reported by CalMatters, all of southern California is experiencing drought conditions, having little to no rainfall since May and experiencing destructive Santa Ana winds throughout the area. The Santa Ana winds adding to the long period of drought are so dangerous for their high speed and dry conditions, exacerbating the dire wildfire conditions. 

The California Wildfires started on January 7, 2025. There were several wildfires that contributed to the California Wildfires that affected various areas, but the most dire were known as the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst. The Palisades Fire has burned over 23, 448 acres of land while destroying more than 6,800 structures. The fire also tragically resulted in 12 fatalities, but was fully contained on January 31. The Eaton Fire has burned 14,000 acres of land and destroyed 9, 400 structures including 6,000 homes. It caused 17 deaths. The Hurst Fire destroyed 799 acres of land. The firefighters risked their lives to help contain the destructive wildfire. 

Climate change is driving extreme natural disasters worldwide, and California’s increasingly destructive wildfires are no exception. The constant rise in temperature is a critical factor which results in changing patterns of environmental disruptions. As a result, wildfires have grown to become more unexpected and extreme. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that between 50 to 200 million people will be displaced by 2050 as a direct result of climate change. 

Aurys Hernandez, a longtime citizen of LA, has worked alongside her mother to start a family daycare business for over two decades and lost everything because of the California wildfires: “in three hours everything’s gone. Our house, our homes, our job, everything,” she explained in an interview with NBC. The wildfires have impacted families by burning down homes, family businesses, and years of hard work. 

Although as students at Newark Academy we are unable to directly assist the firefighters in Los Angeles, we can still help those who are affected by the fire. NA has partnered with an organization known as Neighborhood Hoodie stationed in LA to collect hoodies for teens affected by the wildfires.