Hype to Horror
Happy New Year everyone! Getting hype from the live countdowns at home while indulging in a glass of your favorite refreshment to ring in 2025, we can say it’s off to a PERFECT start! From the recent political divide following election results to the brutal East Coast winters to now the WORST consecutive fires California has ever seen, 2025 is already the BEST year yet! Not. Instead of thinking the year would be off to a FIRE start, many fires have pretty literally started, sending the City of Angels into a city of flames. Thanks to the help of the brave first responders, firefighters, and local law enforcement, they have helped reassure the residents with restored hope from this multi-week-long tragedy. This natural disaster has left a permanent scar on people’s lives, homes, and the beloved city – Los Angeles, California. So, take it from a California native; touring the City of Angels will never be the same.
California Dreamin’ to California Nightmares!
We’ve all seen the breaking news, Instagram stories, and GoFundMe pages for the recent wildfires that struck L.A. However, my old friends are still inhaling the ash when they wake up. I may not be there experiencing it, but as someone who once mostly grew up in Southern California, visited many iconic destinations, and feels their future life awaiting them there… my heart physically aches. Knowing that these wildfires are entirely out of control, hence the word WILD, I’m completely at a loss for words, and California is at a loss for their lives.
As a girl who once lived in San Diego, saying goodbye to the occasional drives down the Pacific Coast Highway, running through the Malibu sands, and shopping at the Palisades Village were all upsetting new details I had to hear and watch crumble through the screen. I watched cars get plowed on live television because the fire on the hillside of the highway was an immediate threat. It honestly looked like the apocalypse we all could only imagine going down on DoomsDay. A dark orange haze from the fires ablaze and abandoned cars without a soul in sight, the heart of California is falling apart before our eyes.
The breathtaking scenery of the Pacific Coast Highway, or the PCH, one of the most beloved tourism attractions in Los Angeles, was completely destroyed by a million embers and flames, which was the first loss of them all. Following this, people’s homes, livelihoods, schools, jobs, stores, and everything in between have also been lost in the ruins. The city of angels is turning into a ghost town before our eyes, and many of us cannot do a thing about it. The fact that the number of fires is quickly outnumbering the firefighters available on each scene means hundreds of departments in other states are coming to help out.
Praising 2Pac’s California Love
Even from across the country, I’m definitely feeling the California love from watching the first responders and residents coming together. L.A. may not be the safest or have the best reputation, but those who live there take pride in their city, and this event shows it. My friends from high school who now live in the L.A. area to follow their dreams are being evacuated. To top it all off, these same friends of mine are also the same ones helping those who lost everything. What does that say?
Theories V. Facts
Many conspiracy theorists think this is the revenge on California for all of the dark, hidden secrets of the infamous land of Hollywood. Still, these people lost everything against their will, are not anyone who deserved it. I find it really sick—this was no one’s fault excluding the high winds, drought, and crazies who decided it would be okay to set fires for fun. Many interviews of residents who lost their homes were more pissed at crazy California Governor Gavin Newsom than the fires themselves. What pisses people off the most is the fact L.A. County had defunded the fire department just one month prior to these wildfires, great timing! Not only was Governor Newsom in support of this, but it was his idea! He’s responsible! Due to the millions of dollars in budget cuts, these fires could have been put out sooner or even prevented! So if you’re going to throw shade at anyone publicly… LET IT BE NEWSOM.
These wildfires remain ongoing but are slowly and steadily being contained, with percentages of 55% for the Hughes fire, 75% for the Palisades fire, and 95% for the Eaton fire. Combined, these three fires dangerously interrupted the lives of thousands across 50,000 acres! To put this into perspective, that would be approximately the size of one football field… only 50,000 times! That’s how much of L.A. is GONE. Smaller fires will continue to pop up here and there due to the embers flying everywhere and the overall drought, but it’s not anything random to see on the West Coast. In fact, when I was in school, snow days weren’t the norm, but rather “fire days,” where we stayed home for 2-3 days due to all of the ash. Yet, I couldn’t imagine my school burning down, which is sadly the case for many children in L.A. County.
Cali’s Comeback!
Once everything is re-built in the upcoming years, the structures, buildings, and beaches you are visiting may not be the “real thing.” Just know, the real thing will be the communities that came together, took action and claimed their city back, and you’ll find me catching the waves while celebrating 2026—that’ll be our year!