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The last week and a half in Los Angeles has been a hellacious game of whack-a-mole. Born and raised in Southern California, the new year brought a “wind event” the likes of which I’ve never seen. Neighborhoods suffered wind damage that paled in comparison to the total destruction the fires would bring. The combination of the record winds and the flames proved to be a deadly and disastrous combination.
It does not feel like a stretch to say everyone knows someone who has been affected by the wildfires. I’d wager two degrees of separation at most. Friends have offered shelter to those who needed it, only to suddenly find themselves under mandatory evacuation orders. Members of our horror community have lost their homes. Heart Eyes director Josh Ruben and Pare filmmaker Lauren Sick were two weeks away from moving into their dream home before it was reduced to ash.
Sound of Violence director Alex Noyer and his family are safe, but their home and everything Alex had left of his recently deceased father did not survive. Basket Case and Leprechaun SFX artist Gabe Bartalos and his family also lost their home in the fires. This is just a small sampling of the thousands of folks sifting through the ashes.
The Palisades fire significantly damaged Palisades Charter High School, displacing upwards of 3,000 students and also destroying a piece of horror history. You may know it as Bates High School. Brian De Palma shot portions of Carrie on the campus.
In Altadena, the Cobb Estate entrance stood in for the Morningside cemetery gates in Phantasm. Maps of the fire damage show virtually everything around this historic area has been destroyed. I don’t know whether the gates still stand in the apocalyptic destruction surrounding them or if we’ve lost those as well.
As the weeks go on and more members of the community are able to return to their neighborhoods, it is likely the list of devastation will continue to grow exponentially.
For residents, the days have been spent watching fire maps, monitoring the flames growing ever closer to their own homes only to suddenly have a new fire spring up very near friends and loved ones, and worrying about strangers in the fire’s path. Fire watch apps, real-time police scanner updates, news coverage, and residents sharing their plight on social media amid power outages and an “unprecedented emergency wind event.” Confusing updates on whether or not the water is safe to drink, poisonous air warnings, false alarms, and legitimate alarms. It’s enough to make you feel helpless.
But then you see the helpers. Community stepping up officially and unofficially.
The morning after the fires started, the Pasadena Convention Center was packed with evacuees. Typically home to Monsterpalooza and Midsummer Scream’s Seasons Screamings conventions, cots now line the walls. It’s a strange waiting room where neighbors mostly sit quietly, maybe wondering, “What next?”
Some were accompanied by their pets, curled up on laps as volunteers handed out water and snacks. Food trucks were parked out front, handing out free meals. A fold-out table had been set up, and three people were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in an assembly line.
Up the road at the Pasadena Humane Society, a long line of evacuated neighbors waited to safely check their pets in. And the parking lot was overflowing with donations. The center had specifically asked the community for blankets, large crates, and food/water bowls that morning. The donation area was already overrun with those requested items.
By the very next day, the Humane Society had all they needed or could store and let the community know monetary donations were the most helpful. As the link went up, it was shared hundreds and thousands of times, and the local community rapidly began raising funds. And community from all over stepped in to help. Folks from Michigan and beyond, an entire global community is rallying around Los Angeles and sending help in any way they can.
Josh Ruben and Lauren Sick’s GoFundMe crushed their goal, and they are graciously asking folks to take a look at underfunded GoFundMe pages to spread the love and support to other members of their community.
In these moments, I am reminded of how much good still exists in the world. We make the good. We have the power to do that. And if you look for it, there are indeed so many people who are making good. When you combine all of that, the power is immeasurable.
The fires are still not 100% contained, but some of the evacuation zones have been downgraded to warning zones as more people are able to go home. For many of them, home is a question mark; they don’t know what they’ll find when they get there. There is no rhyme or reason to the madness. A neighbor’s home will stand fully intact, the lone survivor on an entire block where every other home is reduced to rubble. But for those who go home and find the worst-case scenario- I know they’ll find help and support within the community. It will be a long road. It will be a hard road. But they won’t have to go it alone.
The devastation is widespread and there are so many in need of help. It’s going to take a great deal of time to put it all back together. But in the weeks and months ahead, if we keep showing up the way we have been in these early days, I know we can do it. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the fires. I know I am echoing the general sentiment of “I wish we could do more.” But we’ll do whatever we can, and we’ll all chip away at it together.
If you’re looking for ways to help, you can find in-person volunteer options, a list of donation drop-off locations, and ways to send financial support right here. There are many great causes, from helping pets to supporting teenagers working to restore a sense of normalcy, organizations helping communities, mutual aid networks, and individual GoFundMe pages for direct support. Use these links to research what makes the most sense for you. If you’re in need of help, please utilize your community. We all need help sometimes; it is a fact of life. Reach out. Lean on each other. Let’s make good.
