On Jan. 8, sophomore Nicole Werner was driving to a doctor’s appointment when her mother spotted smoke ahead. At first, the pair assumed the haze was coming from a nearby factory.
But as they returned home, they were confronted with flames rapidly advancing across the mountains just above their house.
Within an hour, Werner and her family evacuated.
“The winds were so fast and strong that [the fires] shifted rapidly,” Werner said. “I was trying to pack everything. Things were getting real. My mom was shouting on the phone, trying to find a hotel and my cats were crying too because we put them in the carrier. The smoke was really bad, and the fire got even closer to us. We just had to get out of there.”
Werner’s evacuation is just one example of the significant displacement caused by the Eaton fire and the Pacific Palisades fire, which both ignited on Jan. 7. The fires already rank among California’s deadliest and most destructive, displacing thousands, destroying homes and claiming 28 lives.
According to Andy Poundstone, associate director for academic support, 17 UP students live in zip codes impacted by the fires. While the full physical impact of the fires on students remains unclear, the emotional toll is evident.
After evacuating, Werner recalls constantly looking for the latest updates on the situation, hoping to hear that things were getting better, but feeling increasingly helpless as she watched the devastation unfold from her hotel room.
“[I kept thinking] ‘Maybe this won't be catastrophic,’ but everything had already happened,” Werner said. “The damage had been done, and it was just getting worse from there. I felt really hopeless, I felt terrible.”
Eaton Fire illuminates the night sky in Los Angeles. The fire began on Jan. 7, 2025. Photo courtesy of Nicole Werner.
While Werner was eventually able to return to her home in Pasadena, the flames sparing her house by a block, she now witnesses the loss of those in her community that weren’t so fortunate. At the hotel, Werner learned that one of her best friends living in Altadena had lost her house completely to the fires.
“It was just devastating to see,” Werner said. “I felt so helpless and scared and angry because [the fires had] never been this bad before. I just couldn’t believe that any of this was happening.”
The emotional impact on Werner also extends beyond her immediate circle. She recalls hearing a family at a restaurant talking about their next steps after losing everything. At the hotel, she witnessed a family waiting for a room, their belongings spread out on the lawn.
“I remember this one family had their livelihood there,” Werner said. “They brought their TV, they brought dozens upon dozens of things all laid outside. I want to believe that their house is okay and that they're okay, but everyone looked so scared.”
First-year nursing student Mikayla Moynihan and her home were safe from the fires in Westchester in L.A., but she similarly describes the pain of hearing from friends who lost everything in the fires.
“I had a friend text me,” Moynihan said, “She was freaking out, and she had said, ‘My house is gone, I don't have a house anymore.’ You never expect it to happen to you until it does. I feel heartbroken with how helpless my friends feel.”
Amid the devastation, the Greater Los Angeles community has come together as they reckon with the fires, a silver lining that Werner finds some solace in.
“I think that's the most beautiful part [of the situation] for sure, because everyone just seems to be so connected again and working together to rebuild the community and support each other through all of this,” Werner said. “I think that was probably one of the only good parts about it, and that's a big thing, and I'm just really grateful for that.”
In response to the fires’ impact on students, Vice President of Student Affairs Fr. John Donato contacted 180 students in the L.A. area on Jan. 8, offering early move-in to on-campus housing and encouraging students to utilize University resources for support. Four students chose to move in early, according to Residence Life Housing Coordinator Rebecca Tangman.
President Robert Kelly also emailed community members on Jan. 13, expressing hope for the safety of all affected and offering the support of various campus offices.
“As our new academic term begins, we pause to express solidarity with the people of greater Los Angeles who, to this day, are experiencing destructive wildfires,” Kelly said in the email. “We are grateful for the heroic first responders who are bravely battling the flames. We honor the many volunteers who are caring for those in need. And, we pray for all who have been impacted, especially those who have lost their lives.”
As recovery efforts continue, the full scope of the fires’ impact on the region is still unfolding. The Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires continue to burn, with many displaced and significant damage reported across Los Angeles County.
Maggie Dapp is the Sports Editor at The Beacon. She can be reached at dapp26@up.edu.
