Bruinboy88@ucla.edu
California is known to have beautiful and sunny weather. But for the past month and a half, the majority of the Los Angeles County inhabitants have been plagued by the ongoing spreading fires, causing them to evacuate their homes with the chance of losing everything precious to them.
Fires are nothing new to Los Angeles county residents. Almost a year ago, on October 14th of 2008, fires broke out in Porter Ranch and Simi Valley. The flames came close to the 118 freeway and the fires spread from the Los Angeles County to the Ventura County. Christine Kojayan, currently a 4th year at UCLA, was a victim of the fires during this time. She said the fires were “frightening, scary, and something that she will never forget.”
Kojayan was in school when the fires broke out and hurried home to be with her family. Police announced an evacuation order to all residents in her community at 3 a.m. Her family took documents, passports, albums, and their pet bird, leaving behind all other belongings. “I remember being scared to drive to or from my house, because all you would see is smoke and haze,” stated Kojayan.
Now more than ever, fires have taken a heavy toll on Southern California. It has affected many Armenians living around the areas of the fire. This year’s Los Angeles fires encompass the areas of Mt. Wilson, Tujunga, Acton, Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and many more. At one point, there were eleven separate fires during days at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. The fire has burned around 160, 000 acres and is the largest fire in Los Angeles County history. For a while, it seemed as though there was no end to the flames as they spread rapidly. Firefighters struggled to contain the fires.
The first fires broke out on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 in Angeles Crest Highway above La Canada Flintridge. The Station fire included areas such as La Crescenta, La Canada, and Acton. The flames spread from Acton to Pasadena and Antelope Valley. Fires also broke out in Auburn California. Many homes were lost in both the Station fire and the fire in Auburn. The flames forced thousands of evacuations and many residential homes were threatened. A total of 6,000 firefighters were involved, two of which lost their lives to the battle as their truck plummeted 800 feet down a mountain.
The Los Angeles fires have had a traumatic effect on Armenian communities. Many Armenian families were evacuated, one of whom was Arsine Gasparyan, a UCLA alumni and a current student at Southwestern Law School. Gasparyan was forced to evacuate her house due to the Station fires in La Crescenta.
The fires spread towards her house from the La Canada Flintridge area. News stations aired newscasts from her house, stating that the fires were only a half mile away from her home. “Absolutely everything was covered in ash,” said Gasparyan. “What once stood as a green mountain is now burned down,” she added.
Gasparyan was evacuated Saturday night at 2:30 a.m. when the flames were getting dangerously close. Firefighters informed the evacuees that shelters were available at the local high school for people who are forced to evacuate. They packed up their documents and albums, and left their home, not knowing whether or not they’ll ever see their house again, untouched from the fires.
Fortunately, three days later she was allowed to return home since the fires had moved on. “All the Armenians in the community helped each other. Neighbors came together and there was a sense of friendship and community. We had this ‘I look after you, you look after me’ thing,” Gasparyan explained.
On Friday August 28, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the Los Angeles and Monterey counties. There was a large respiratory issue because of the heavy ash and smoke that filled the air. The fires were also extremely close to important television, radio, and communications centers, as well as the Mount Wilson observatory. Firefighters used many techniques to slow down the fires. They did brush clearing and controlled burn. However, the wind and weather made it extremely difficult to carry out these tasks, as the embers spread from La Canada and La Crescenta to Tujunga.
Laura Grigorian, a resident of the Seven Hills Community in Tujunga with her husband and two children, was also a victim of the recent flames. The last time there was a fire in this area was the 1958 Brush fire. It hadn’t occurred until now, causing the brush to accumulate and become very thick. The fire was very close and could be seen on the mountain immediately behind her house. “There was a lot of smoke and ash, causing the air quality to become unbearable,” stated Grigorian.
Grigorian and her family were evacuated Saturday evening; they packed up jewelry, clothes, pictures, and anything else they thought would come in handy. Shelters were offered, but still, they felt homeless. “My kids weren’t in their own beds and even though we could stay at a family member’s house, it still wasn’t our home,” explained Grigorian. “My 5-year-old daughter was frightened and crying because she had to say goodbye to her room and most of her belongings,” added Grigorian.
Police are now treating the Station fire as arson and the tragic death of the two firefighters as homicide. There has been extensive investigation in the areas where the fires initially started. Although the cause is still unknown at this time, authorities say it is the act of an arsonist. Initial reports stated that the Station fire is expected to be fully contained by mid-September… and they were right. Thankfully, the majority of the houses and properties under danger were unharmed. The fires are now all safely contained as a result of the brave and dedicated firefighters of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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