This month’s deadly Los Angeles fires impacted people across the region, including some of our Burroughs alumni who are now at college.
While the did not lose their homes like so many others did, they witnessed firsthand the devastation.
“I live in the UCLA dorms, so the fires were a couple of miles from me,” said BHS alumna and current UCLA student Amanda Ngo. “There were concerns about the air quality, since a lot of ash made its way onto campus and the Hill.”
Looming threats posed by the fires elicited anxiety for all who lived in close proximity, especially school students and faculty, with over 1,000 schools reportedly closing throughout Los Angeles, including UCLA.
“My school was canceled for a week and two days due to the fires,” said BHS alumna and current UCLA student Mahnoor Ahmad. “However, I did go to my dorm for a night when classes were cancelled to get a few necessities. UCLA felt like a ghost town.”
These accounts are not limited solely to these students, but to the community as a whole, with a reported 16,000 homes being destroyed, making it the second most destructive year in California fire history.
“I don’t personally know anyone who lost their home or something significant, but families of friends lost everything—their homes and businesses,” said Ahmad. “It’s heartbreaking to see such devastation.”
One sign of hope is how the tragedy has brought the people of Los Angeles together.
“It’s important to mention how the L.A. community banded together to support each other and provide relief to those affected by the fires,” said Ngo. “From local restaurants offering free meals to evacuees to firefighters from different states arriving to aid with containment, these are just a couple of examples of everyone’s desire to reach out and help during moments of crisis.”
