On Jan. 7, five wildfires broke out, causing destruction to over 14,000 structures and the deaths of more than 20 people. Major fires including Palisades and Eaton have burned a total of around 40,000 acres.
Although the fires did not reach Walnut, over the past few weeks, students have noticed the effects of the fire in multiple ways. Intense winds, poor air quality, false evacuation alarms and power outages are just to name a few. 153,000 residents living within the vicinity of a fire have also been required to evacuate their homes.
All outdoor activities, including boy’s tennis tryouts, track and soccer practice, were cancelled on Jan. 7 due to poor air quality, with the athletics staff actively monitoring the Air Quality Index (AQI) during the wildfires.
On Jan. 9, every resident in Los Angeles (LA) County received an emergency evacuation warning. Another alert was sent out 15 minutes later by the LA County Office of Emergency Management, asking residents to disregard the previous alert. Many students’ families experienced fear and panic after receiving the faulty alert.
LA County Fire Department Station 61 firefighter paramedic Craig Eatherly emphasizes the importance of staying up to date with the news to minimize panic. During the wildfire crisis, the fire department faced problems with personnel shortage. Some firefighters weren’t able to see their families for over two weeks.
“People should inform each other. If you do get informed on something, share it like how we do now on the internet,” Eatherly said. “The best way you guys can help [firefighters] is to be informed, be smart and have education about fires.”
