The Willamette community has been in the works to support LA wildfire relief efforts following California’s first wildfires of 2025 that have spread rapidly through the Los Angeles area.
The initial fire, now known as the Palisades Fire, sparked on Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood east of Malibu. At the time of reporting, the Palisades fire had burned 23,448 acres, with 11 people reported dead and over 6,500 structures destroyed. Just hours after the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire erupted in the San Gabriel Mountains near the base of an electrical tower in Eaton Canyon, according to The New York Times. Due to winds reaching up to 90 mph, the Eaton fire quickly spread, burning over 14,000 acres, including schools, hospitals and neighborhoods.
According to CBS news, while firefighters at the Palisades and Eaton fires had taken major actions to contain the flames, on Jan. 22, the Hughes fire ignited. It began in northern Los Angeles County near Castaic Lake, burning over 500 acres in its first hour. This fire has burned well over 10,000 acres at the time of reporting.
Though the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires have been heavily reported, many smaller fires such as the Hurst, Sunset and Lidia fires have erupted, along with more continuing to burn, adding up to at least 10 fires impacting LA county since the start of 2025. Factors aiding the spread of these fires include the Santa Ana winds that move through the mountains of Southern California and California’s “Dry Period,” with downtown Los Angeles only having 0.16 inches of rain since October 2024.
Briana Lindh, a senior lecturer in biology at Willamette University, noted that fluctuations of climate patterns from El Niño and La Niña have impacted Southern California. Currently, California is undergoing La Niña conditions, resulting in more precipitation and wet conditions in Northern California while Southern California is left dry and barren. Additionally, elevating temperatures due to climate change has increased the risk of fires. “There is a lot of natural vegetation burning, like chaparral and other shrubs, in places where it is not wet enough to have a forest,” Lindh stated.
Willamette student Megan Betos (’27), a resident of Monrovia, California, reflected on her experience living 20 minutes away from the Eaton fire while home for winter break. “You know when you smell burnt steak that should have been taken off the barbeque 45 minutes ago? That's what it smelled like,” Betos recalled, and noted that she started wearing masks due to the poor air quality from ash.
On the day of the Eaton fire, Betos said that windstorms had left the entire city of Monrovia without power for two days. Fortunately, the fires did not reach her family home, but she knew friends that had more unfortunate experiences with the property loss. Additionally, she noted that these wildfire impacts have remained damaging to the broader LA community.
Betos stated that not only were the fires destructive, burglary via breaking and entering became rampant as people fled to evacuate their homes, leaving valuables and costly possessions behind. “Our governor had to call on the National Guard to keep watch of all these places,” Betos said. Governor Newsom deployed the CalGuard on Jan. 9 to help “build capacity of local law enforcement,” releasing nearly 8,000 personnel to combat fires and ensure public safety. Newsom stated, “Looting will not be tolerated.”
On Jan. 8, the Willamette University Emergency Response Team sent out an email to the Willamette student community, expressing their concern for those who have been affected by the fires in the Los Angeles area. The email wrote, “These fires may affect you in different ways, including your return to campus. The Office of Student Affairs is available to support your personal well-being and academic success.”
Returning to Willamette after winter break, organizations on campus have started putting together fundraisers to raise awareness and inspire donations towards fire recovery and relief efforts. The Willamette Sigma Chi Fraternity held a fundraising event on Jan. 29 in Jackson Plaza to support the wildfire relief effort. Nolan Wright (’27), the fraternity’s philanthropy coordinator said, “We have a couple brothers who have been affected and lost houses in the LA wildfires. … This issue is very personal to us.” The fundraiser included the fraternity brothers taking quick dips in the Mill Stream and shaving cream pies to the face for donations towards the Red Cross. The event raised nearly $300 in donations.
Additionally, Annie Birch Wright (’27), a Willamette student and current president of the Climate Action Alliance, shared that the student organization would be collaborating with Willamette’s Craft Club to put together an “L.A. Fire Relief bake and craft fundraiser” that will be held on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Jackson Plaza.
Birch Wright explained that QR codes of the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the California Community Foundation, and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles will be available to scan at the fundraiser, along with priced baked goods and other purchasable items. “People can choose what organization they would like to donate to … choose an item they would like to buy, and donate what the item is worth to the organization,” Birch Wright outlined. Grace Kosmicki (’25), a member of the Climate Action Alliance, added, “We’re doing it around Valentine’s Day. The idea was that people can have a Valentine’s Day card, which is the craft aspect of it.”
Along with the organizations the Climate Action Alliance has mentioned, Betos noted that GoFundMe is a way for Willamette students to support people directly, but also urged the importance of “spread[ing] resources and information [for] where people can find temporary housing, food, supplies, hygiene and clothing.”
As the wildfires in California are moving towards containment, communities have begun the cleanup of the aftermath, opening up opportunities for donations and charity.
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