The Fires: A Brief Reflection
January 14, 2025—My View
The Los Angeles Fires. Another before and after demarcation. One thing I’ve thought a lot about in the past few days is that there have been too many of those recently. First 9/11, COVID, October 7, and now the Los Angeles fires. I’m sure I’m missing some. Events that seem like they change everything.
We are safe. I’ve been explaining to worried friends who don’t know Los Angeles and even some who do, that I live in an enormous city, geographically. Certain neighborhoods, some very wealthy, others more middle-class, border wilderness areas and in these climactic conditions are highly susceptible to fire. Those conditions have been amplified in recent years—wetter seasons that created more brush, drier seasons that turned that brush into kindling, and Santa Ana winds that are stronger than they used to be. All in a terrain that already lent itself to unsettling events like fires and earthquakes—the latter of which, at least, is not related to climate change.
Our neighborhood is not in one of those fire-prone areas. While the fires could potentially grow so out of control that they move towards us, that’s highly unlikely—and even less likely (perhaps impossible) today than a few days ago. We’ve been watching the firefighters work in extraordinary ways to ensure that the fires don’t continue to spread into very populated areas. Reading about their valiant efforts inspires me.
At the same time, our city is not safe. It will not be the same after this. The recovery from this fire is beyond daunting. The question of what remains habitable in changing climactic conditions may or may not influence rebuilding. I fear it won’t. The number of people who need housing will drive short-term housing prices sky-high and push more people into homelessness. The number of people who relied on the wealthy in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu for their livings (gardeners, domestic workers, service workers) will be, at least temporarily, without work. A not small number of these people are undocumented and that will only aggravate the issues surrounding immigration. In Altadena, a middle-class community, including a black middle-class that worked exceptionally hard to become homeowners, the means to rebuild are less available than in the wealthier Palisades. There is anger at public officials—some valid, much a reflexive need to find someone to blame for what both nature and decades of ignoring the real threats of climate change have wrought. And all of this is happening as the country changes administrations and the new one expresses active hostility to California and Californians.
While there is the potential for an event like this to open eyes, I’m not holding out much hope that this will happen. I thought COVID would create change for good and it seems to have done the opposite. People seem to interpret these types of events through whatever lens they see the world through—rather than allowing these events to challenge those lenses.
So, if the macro feels rather depressing, there are micro wonders. I’m awed by the myriad of organizations and people who have worked together to support the families who have lost everything. The lists of volunteer and donation opportunities are astounding—and people are monitoring those lists and ensuring they are up-to-date. People just stepping up and doing what they can. World Central Kitchen, one of the most incredible organizations I know, has established multiple sites for fire victims. I honestly don’t understand how they move so fast. I am struck by the profound resilience of the people I know who are displaced—and their ability to maintain a larger perspective.
And, at a much more personal level, when I see billowing smoke from my doorstep and pack a “go-bag,” I can’t help but think about impermanence and my relationship to all the “stuff” I’ve accumulated. It’s a reminder that you won’t take it with you—either in that moment when you flee a fire or when your life on this planet ends. It’s a sobering reflection and feels like an important and even liberating one.
So, for those of you who’ve asked me how I am—this is my answer, for now.
Reading Material
Here are links to the reflections that I have most appreciated in these last few days:
This piece from the NY Times, Los Angeles is Starring in an All-Too-Real Disaster Story (link should allow you to read the whole essay), felt true to me.
This is a more political take from Steve Schmidt. I don’t agree with all of it (I’m more forgiving of our local politicians,) and it’s very good.