By Ami Medina, Feb. 11, 2025
The vibrant county of Los Angeles, home to almost 10 million people, felt the devastation when the tragedy struck just as the new year began and fires raged across the hills, but the communities, pulsed with energy and diversity, united and help each other.
“It was like some kind of surreal movie with destruction,” Cristina Carlos said, an Altadena resident who lost her home of 24 years to the devastating wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles.
It was a scene she never thought to be part of her reality, and a nightmare that would come too close to home.
“I didn’t expect all this,” Carlos said. “The fires always stay on the foothills. Our neighborhood historically has never been at risk. But the winds sent the fires south. “
Altadena, a long-established neighborhood, had traditionally been a community of Latinos and other minority groups, mainly because it was one of the more affordable areas for families seeking to put down roots. Cristina Carlos, her husband Steve Carlos and their two children, Lucian and Mila, were uncertain of how to react to the growing chaos around them.
“All we could do was just be cautious because we weren’t in the zones that needed to evacuate,” Cristina Carlos said about the family’s initial reaction to the fire. “But we were still up all night being alert.
Despite the growing danger, the Carlos family has tried to remain hopeful, thinking the fires would stay away from their home. However, it wasn’t long before the threat grew closer and houses around them started to burn.
“We saw the embers in the sky like fireworks and it was coming down into our neighborhood,” Cristina Carlos said.
The family packed up a few essentials, thinking they would be gone for just a night or two. They left their home around 5 a.m. but didn’t receive an official evacuation notice until 5:30 a.m.
According to latimes.com, the four major fires burning across the Los Angeles area, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, the Kenneth Fire along the Los Angeles-Ventura border and the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, have displaced over 100,000 people, with officials reporting significant destruction, including more than 6,800 structures lost in the Palisades Fire alone and an estimated 9,400 in the Eaton Fire.
As tragic as the moment was, Altadena’s residents became a community that emerged in the wake of the fire.
Cristina Carlos said she remembers one family, a large Latino household, helping their Irish neighbor fight the fire with buckets of water.
“They couldn’t even communicate together because of the language barrier, but they were there to help,.” Carlos said.
And in a bittersweet twist, when Carlos’s family went to check on their home a couple of days later a family from Ontario showed up with food.
“They were handing us quesadillas and burritos,” Cristina Carlos said. “They said they came from Ontario to help. It was so moving.”
In the face of the fire’s destruction, the unity of the community served as a much-needed breath of fresh air.
The recovery process has been difficult for the Carlos’s family. Currently living with her mother in Montebello, they are trying to take things one day at a time.
Mila Carlos, the youngest daughter, and a first-year kinesiology student at CPP, said she is navigating the life after fires with sadness, anger and uncertainty.
“The only words to describe how I feel on a daily basis is sad and angry, Mila Carlos said. “It’s almost like I started a new life and it’s crazy to think a month ago my life was completely different,”
She said it was hard to go back to school.
“It’s hard to talk to new people without having to mention my current situation,” Mila Carlos said. “I have yet to meet any students or teachers that lost their home, which makes me feel a bit isolated. It would be amazing to talk to fellow students on campus who are going through this.”
The fire took away much of the family’s material possessions, including heirlooms from Cristina Carlos family in Mexico and when she lived in Guatemala, but it also gave her a new perspective.
“We are still grieving our material things, but in the end, our home is where our familia is,” Cristina Carlos said. “We have to look at our blessings because you can get really lost in grief. I have to keep reminding myself of what I am thankful for.”
In the face of this devastation, Angelinos like Jasmine Julie Maldonado found ways to rise above the challenges.
Maldonado, the founder of Persona the Shop, a Latina-owned curated shop located in Mid-City LA, and Midcity Mercado, a family-owned pop-up marketplace, knew exactly how to use her platform to give back to the community.
“One of our best skills is bringing people together at our community events, so we decided to continue the events we already had planned but make them a benefit for raising funds for families displaced by the fires,” Maldonado said.
For Maldonado, it was a way to channel the collective energy of her community toward supporting those who had lost so much.
Persona the Shop, held a vision board event with Bella Dona, another Los Angeles based brand, Jan.18. Just a week later, Midcity Mercado hosted a special edition of its popular market. These events, typically fun and reflective gatherings, were transformed into fundraisers.
“We raffled some of our products and offered to do a photoshoot for those who won and vendors decided to donate items to raffle as well,” Maldonado said.
“Midcity Mercado’s mission is all about cultural preservation and empowering brown and black entrepreneurs,” Maldonado said. “So, when it comes to helping our community in times of need, it is something within our nature to aspire to do. And it is definitely one of the most fulfilling things I do in my life.”
For Maldonado, using her platforms for good is not just a business decision, it’s personal. As a Latina business owner in a diverse and ever-changing city like Los Angeles, Maldonado said she understands the power of community and the strength found in supporting one another, especially when tragedy strikes.
As fires continued to burn across the Los Angeles area our neighboring Latino country, Mexico, demonstrated that courage and compassion transcend borders.
Firefighters from Mexico came to the rescue. They arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to join the 14,000 personnel already battling the Palisades Fire. Mexico sent over 70 firefighters and disaster relief workers to support local efforts. Their support was a testament to the strong bond between Mexico and the U.S. in times of need.
The wildfires left behind a trail of destruction, and igniting a sense of solidarity, within Los Angeles and borders. From local Latino businesses coming together to fundraise for those in need to international support from Mexico, this crisis has shown how the Latino community and many others from different backgrounds continue to be a pillar of hope.
The fire may have burned through the city, but it has only fueled a deeper connection between us all.
Feature image courtesy of the Carlos family