Deadly fires and heated tensions

By Amie Ahn April 2, 2025

On Jan. 7, a series of raging wildfires swept through Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 29 people. The devastating fires led to political fallout between the mayor and the chief of the fire department, and caused many residents to criticize the government for an inadequate response to the disaster.

NBC News reported that Southern California has received less than 10% of its average rainfall since October. This created a dry, drought-like atmosphere that put the Palisades and Eaton area in danger of fire, especially when combined with strong offshore winds. The severity of the Palisades and Eaton fires put more than 200,000 residents under evacuation orders, destroyed entire neighborhoods and left tens of thousands of citizens homeless. The insured losses totaled over $20 billion, according to NBC News. 

Chancellor Julio Frenk of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) responded to the fires by moving in-person graduate instruction online and canceling all undergraduate classes for the Thursday and Friday following the fires. Despite this, UCLA students recall there being a lack of instruction for evacuation during the fires and officials failing to take precautionary measures. Students stayed safe by skipping classes or wearing masks to prevent exposure to the harmful air. 

“UCLA did not handle the situation well in regards to students’ mental health, as they could have taken a more protective approach rather than trying to drag out in-person instruction—their claims of the air quality being normal were clearly false, as smoke was visible from the dorms,” Leland alumna Kavya Desai, who was part of the Class of ‘24, said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a series of executive orders to speed up recovery of destroyed homes and businesses—Newsom temporarily removed permitting and review requirements previously created by the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act. The California Franchise Tax Board also postponed the individual tax filing deadline to Oct. 15 for taxpayers of Los Angeles County, providing some relief to those impacted by the fires. 

A dispute erupted between Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire department (LAFD) Kristin Crowley amid the deadly fires. Bass accused Crowley of failing to adequately respond to the fires by not reporting timely warnings to her, which led Bass not to cancel her diplomatic visit to Ghana. On Feb. 21, Bass fired Crowley from her position. 

Crowley defended herself and her fellow firefighters, bringing the concerning deficiencies of the LAFD to light. According to Crowley, her department was seriously underfunded, creating shortages in personnel and equipment. Most other firefighters have shown support—Chung Ho, director of the Los Angeles firefighters union, described Crowley as a scapegoat for the LAFD’s financial shortcomings and public safety issues.

However, Crowley also faced allegations of discrimination against nonwhite firefighters. In a letter to the Council, Robert Hawkins of the Stentorians—an organization of black Los Angeles firefighters—claimed workplace inequities and discrimination had increased with Crowley as chief. Ultimately, Crowley’s appeal of her dismissal on Feb. 27 was turned down by the City Council.

Leland also held a fire relief fundraiser on Jan. 25, which raised money by selling school apparel in addition to making bracelets and cards to support affected families. The money, bracelets and cards were donated to the Altadena Girls and Altadena Boys, which are organizations for affected teens in Los Angeles. The fundraiser was organized by ASB’s event chairs, including Freshman Amber Tapacu.

“The Altadena Girls and Altadena Boys provide affected teens with a shopping-like experience where they can pick out items they want, but for free. After seeing the destructive impact of the fires on the news, we wanted to support affected students and their families, even if that meant just helping them rebuild their wardrobe,” Tapacu said.

Los Angeles citizens hope the city has moved past the rifts in leadership and initial challenges of emergency response. Recovery efforts remain ongoing, with relief organizations supporting affected families and working to rebuild communities for displaced residents.

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About the Contributors

Amie Ahn

Writer

Amie Ahn is a sophomore at Leland High School and a writer for the Charger Account. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends and eating.