On January 7th, 2025, California was struck by a wildfire starting north of Los Angeles that quickly descended down towards the city, burning blocks of suburbs and apartment buildings in its path. “Lots of friends of mine live there, almost all of them had to evacuate, though fortunately they didn’t lose their homes.” Remarked Daniel Lawrence, a science teacher here at Kaiser. The hot and dry weather combined with fierce winds enabled the fire to swiftly grow out of control, despite the firefighters and the governor’s best efforts to contain it. It is unknown what or who started the fires currently though some speculate lightning or fallen power lines are to blame. Alongside the first f
ire, named the Palisade fire, several more have sprung up, one north of Hollywood hills called the Hurst fire, a small blaze called the Auto fire and one in the northeast named the Eaton fire. Despite the state’s efforts, the fires are minimally contained and have claimed 25 lives so far. “The government should support fire afflicted areas with relief programs and temporary housing for those affected.” Says Miss Hsu, an English teacher at Kaiser. The state has also been questioned lately about its preparedness for such emergencies as fire hydrants had lost water pressure early into containment efforts.
