By: Rachel Pandji
28 dead. 22 are still missing. However, the numbers keep rising. Homes and prized possessions burned and are burning in flames. Roughly tens and thousands of people have been forced to feel homes; approximately 13,000 structures have been damaged or have been completely destroyed (Burke and Kreutz 2025)
Strong winds and dry air have pushed fires to expand in LA. Recently, three fire breakouts caused evacuations in the San Diego area. Conditions are getting worse and worse; the red flag warning has officially been raised. The red flag warning is used to warn citizens to brace themselves for the spreading of wildfires due to extremely dry conditions and low humidity. If this goes on, the fire will grow and grow.
A married couple, Stefan and Judy Zweig, lost their dream home, where they had been raising their children for quite a while.
“It was perfect for us; it was perfect,” Stefan said.
When will this agony stop? Olympian Gary Hall Jr. lost his 10 Olympic medals in the fire. The destruction doesn’t stop there; the ash left by the fires might even be toxic. This is why, fortunately, emergency ash debris clearances have been ordered by the government immediately.
Ash clearances are vital at this time as winter rain is about to come. Heavy rain causes severe erosion and might affect water quality when rivers carry ash and sediment in some cases. With the containment of the Eaton fire reaching about 90%, there is still hope. Several companies and organizations have offered free or discounted products to the victims of this despairing event.
If the government continues to support the aid and the contaminants of the wildfires, most of the fires will be contained soon. However, that does not mean the winds and the weather aren’t holding back from fighting and bringing the fire to other new areas in Los Angeles.
Linking back to the suffering, a total of 15 human remains found in the fire have not been identified. With the introduction of rain in the Los Angeles area, the risk of mudslides and floods has grown. Hopefully, all the contaminants and the ash clearances succeed so families can live without worry again.