University of Miami supports Southern California students affected by LA wildfires 

Firefighters aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar begin combatting fires. Photo Credit: WikiMedia Commons.

Wildfires that erupted in the Los Angeles area during the final week of winter break have significantly disrupted the lives of University of Miami students from Southern California.

In response to the natural disaster, UM extended support to its students, many of whom were directly and indirectly affected by the crisis. 

Vice President for Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement Patricia A. Whitely reached out to students who are residents of Los Angeles and Orange County in response to the ongoing wildfires in those areas. 

In her message, Whitely acknowledged the severity of the fires and reassured students of the University’s availability to assist those affected. 

“As we watch the devastation caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles, I want to ensure you know that we are here for you,” Whitely said in the statement. “Our experiences with extreme weather make it all too familiar how destructive impacts and the aftermath can affect a community.”

Jake Baum, a junior studying broadcast journalism at UM, shared his experience as one of the university’s students who was evacuated due to the ongoing fires.

“My family had to evacuate our apartment in Calabasas. I wish I could say that was the first time we had to do so. Back when I was in high school, we had to evacuate twice within a month at one point, due to the Woolsey Fires,” he said. 

The Pacific Palisades Fire, which ignited on Jan. 7 in the coastal area of northwestern Los Angeles approximately 20 minutes out of Calabases, quickly grew out of control due to powerful Santa Ana winds, scorching over 23,700 acres in less than 48 hours.

“My brother, who was home at the time of this fire, when the power shut off and evacuation orders were given, grabbed our dogs and valuables and went to where it was safe,” Baum said. “We were lucky he had a place to go, and know that not everyone is as fortunate as we were.” 

Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire, which spread throughout Pasadena and Altadena, and other fires in Hollywood Hills and the San Fernando Valley led to additional evacuations in the later hours of Jan. 7. 

Jensen Ring, a junior from Manhattan Beach, Calif. studying organizational leadership at UM, described the overwhelming sight of the fires as he left Los Angeles to return to Miami for the spring semester. 

“It’s very devastating to see what Los Angeles has been going through,” Ring said. “As I was taking off from LAX, you couldn’t even see anything on one side of the plane due to all the smoke in the air.”

The fires have caused widespread destruction, burning over 15,000 structures, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and leaving many residents without homes. 

For students like Ring who were not directly affected, witnessing the aftermath of the disaster and seeing their city in ruins remains devastating.

“I want to thank all the brave men and women who have been combating the fires across the city,” Ring said. “This is something that we can’t get numb to, and I hope that we can all continue to keep the families who have lost their lives and homes in our prayers.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on the first day of the Palisades Fire ignition, deploying over 15,000 firefighting personnel within a week.

Victor Jaimes, a sophomore from Miami majoring in mathematics, shared that he initially did not realize the scale of the disaster, since he was witnessing it second-hand through multiple news platforms. 

“When I heard about the fires, I thought they were just like the regular fires California gets a lot of, so I didn’t think too much of it,” Jaimes said. “But then I started seeing pictures in New York Times notifications and social media, and it was just insane how close to LA the fires were.”

According to NBC News, there were close to 200,000 people under evacuation orders as firefighting crews continued to battle the fires and increase containment percentages.

Jaimes expressed that he was particularly struck by the fires’ proximity to iconic landmarks like the Hollywood sign and the speed at which they had spread. 

“It was really sad seeing all the burnt houses, and then seeing videos of people returning to where their houses used to be and seeing nothing,” Jaimes said. 

In response to the crisis, Whitely reassured students that the University is ready to assist anyone whose family has been seriously impacted by the fires. 

“With the ongoing impacts of a natural disaster, it is impossible to know how your life may have been interrupted or impacted,” she said in her email. “Please know we will do our best to assist students whose families have been significantly impacted.”