The Most Destructive Wildfires in LA History: How the 2025 LA Fires Affected Students
Image Credit: Sophia Schafer-Wharton
When I first heard about the LA fires, it was around 7:00 p.m. I can vividly recall stepping onto my front porch, only to see vibrant hues of orange and yellow and steadily rising smoke in the distance. At that moment, I thought: The fires are coming toward my house. My house might be burned down. I need to evacuate.
Some students at Sequoyah’s high school had similar experiences to my own. Others weren’t directly affected by the fires at all. And, of course, a few students at Sequoyah lost their homes. This article aims to encapsulate how these fires affected Sequoyah students across that range of experiences.
One Sequoyah student who wasn’t heavily impacted by the LA fires was James Wagner ’27. He lives in Highland Park, far away from the burn zones. Wagner said that he felt “a mix of grief and fear for friends” during the fires and that he “had a few suggested evacuation orders,” but noted that “the fire never reached our neighborhood, so I didn’t feel any direct fire impact. I felt more of the side effects of the fire, such as intense ashfalls. [It was] very smoky. I was more fearing for my friends, though.” Even when Wagner’s house was (potentially) under threat, he was more concerned about his friends who were closer to the blaze.
One of Wagner’s friends who was directly affected by the fires was Geo Mazzotta ’27. Mazzotta explained, “My house almost burned down. My yard burned down. I live less than a mile from where the fire originated. Luckily, my house is standing, and most of my neighborhood is standing as well.” When asked to recount his experience of evacuating, Mazzotta said, “After dinner, I spent 30 minutes doing my homework, and then it started to look red outside. I started getting a lot of phone calls. The internet was down, so I couldn’t hear what people were saying, but my family and I went outside, and we saw this fiery mass coming down the hill. We quickly ran into the rooms, got everything out, and left.” As they were on the freeway, all Mazzotta could think about was that their house was gone. Fortunately, his house, like mine, survived the fires.
Finally, Orion Thomas ’27 is a Sequoyah student who lost his home during the LA fires. When asked what he was thinking during the evacuation, Thomas said, “[I was thinking] Oh, great. There goes our stuff. It was pretty much as simple as that. We were really just looking for a place to stay next.” Thankfully, Thomas’s family was able to find a hotel hours after he had evacuated, and then a short-term housing situation the following day. In light of Thomas’ tremendous loss, a group of his friends from Sequoyah (including me!) banded together to try to support him. As Thomas recalled, “A bunch of my friends got together and helped me gather a ton of furniture. Another thing is that for several weeks after the fire, [Sequoyah] families came together and brought us dinner, which was really helpful.” In the time that a Sequoyah family needed it most, Sequoyahns stepped up to help them out.
Having been on the receiving end of a lot of help and questions, Thomas emphasized that “[you should] try not to be too intrusive: just help when you can, but do your best to stay out of the way while you’re doing it, because there’s a lot going on, and sometimes it makes it feel like even more is happening.” If hearing Thomas’ experiences has inspired you to take action, there are plenty of organizations for you to choose from. I personally have volunteered at Medical Mission Adventures’ medical clinics for those affected by the Eaton Fires and can highly recommend them to anyone interested in doing direct, boots-on-the-ground type of work. Gracie Underwood ’26 and Griffin McLemore ’26 have launched their own nonprofit, gathering and distributing backpacks and other necessary school supplies to children affected by the fires. Something as simple as donating used clothes to families in need can make a big difference.
While the LA fires have been devastating, the silver lining is that they encourage aid and collaboration amongst Angelenos (and of course, Sequoyahns). If you see or know someone who lost their house in these fires, consider bringing them dinner to alleviate food worries. Donate or help them gather furniture. The Sequoyah community is renowned for its kindness; let’s live up to our reputation.