For 25 years in Los Angeles, as a family we survived many years of drought and countless earthquakes, yet love survived. But today, in 2025, with the entire loss of the beautiful Pacific Palisades, an area bigger than Manhattan, much of the city’s sorrowful script is written here.

From Jillana Devine-Knickel on Saturday:

First, the air quality is still terrible. In North Hollywood we were closest to the Sunset Fire which they put out quickly.

It was up in the Hollywood Hills, and the fire department contained it before it reached the Sunset Strip. Fake photos of the famed Hollywood sign on fire were put up on the internet and for a little while the rumor was out there that it was up in flames, but it was announced that it was fake within a couple of hours. Yesterday we received a “prepare for evacuation” notice on our smartphones and a retraction an hour later, it was meant for a different neighborhood.

No one can set any definite dates while the fires are still burning and the winds are still high, although things are moving in the right direction. All my friends are safe. Two of them reported that houses they grew up in here are gone, which is so sad, even if they don’t live there anymore. It’s a lot of sadness and stress on everyone.

From Dawn Devine Sieoff on Saturday:

Our home is close to the Eaton Fire. My husband and I live in the Pasadena area/Highland Park. We have packed valuables and essentials and are ready to go if need be. Ash was falling from the sky, coating cars and homes. We have to remain inside; the air quality is horrendous. Everyone is wearing masks outside. Friends’ experiences include having to wake up in the middle of the night, grab their dog, bag, and head to a grocery store parking lot down the hill to wait to see if they could go home (they did). But many actors in Jillana’s world and Rick’s (Jillana’s husband) studio world lost their homes in Pacific Palisades, and librarians, teachers and friends who love the nature in the mountains have lost their homes in Altadena.

Schools are closed throughout the city for safety. People are coming together to help one another, to help animals and strangers to pull through. A friend and her family have been evacuated from the Calabasas area and are awaiting news about their beloved home. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them.

An old American slave hymn said it all and may predict the future: “God gave Noah the rainbow sign, no more water, the fire next time!”

J.P. Devine is a Waterville writer.