I knew that 2025 was going to be unlike any other. AI growing exponentially, climate change accelerating, unpredictable geopolitics, new administration – it’s a lot. And sometimes, real life intrudes on your expectations. Enter the LA Fires.
I moved to Los Angeles in the 90’s from Toronto. Mostly for the weather. But also, for a fresh start. It seemed like the kind of place where anything was possible. Over time, I built a life here. Made friends. Explored professional opportunities. Built community. Spent time getting to know the city and heading out to Malibu as often as possible.
On Tuesday, everything changed. I heard that friends were evacuating from the Palisades in the early afternoon but that had happened before, so it didn’t seem that abnormal. A few hours later, reality set in. This was something different. While we’ve all been waiting for the big one – earthquake – we were brought to our knees by wildfires. They were fast and furious. So far, I know of 12 people in my network who lost their homes – 11 in the Palisades and 1 in Altadena. Many friends are evacuated, and others left the city because of the poor air quality. I’m OK, thanks to everyone who reached out. I have a roof over my head and life seems almost normal when I walk in my neighborhood (with a mask because of the smoke). But it’ll take time to process what this means to the city and the community.
Right now, I’m concerned about everyone who lost everything and the brave firefighters on the front lines. We aren’t at the end yet. That’s what differentiates this from other extreme weather events. Fires are not contained. Each of us is coping in our own way. There is also anger on top of sadness and a feeling that there’s been a lack of leadership in this crisis.
But the how and why will have to wait. The focus must be on getting through the next few days (more anticipated wind events) and then the hard part, supporting those who will need help to rebuild their homes and lives. And we can’t forget all the people whose livelihood is lost because they worked in the affected areas. The scope of this disaster is still hard to wrap my head around. It’s at times like this that leadership matters most.