Residents in Southern California are fighting one of the worst wildfire outbreaks in recent memory. Several fires erupted across Los Angeles County, with winds gusting to 100 MPH, leaving Pacific Palisades and Eaton (Pasadena) residents fleeing their homes.
The combined fires scorched over 30,000 acres and ignited over 1,000 structures, with five reported casualties. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency, and other officials noted that the situation was the worst the community had experienced in years.
Watching the video footage from Los Angeles was horrifying, but it was even more so for Missy and me. We felt like we were fighting a wildfire 1,344 miles away. Our oldest son lives southwest of the Eaton fire, near Pasadena. Missy and I helped as much as possible over the phone, but he did a great job by himself preparing for an evacuation.
He left home Wednesday as smoke darkened the skies around his house and his neighborhood lost power. Thankfully, his house was—at this time—not damaged, but the blaze came way too close for his parents’ comfort. We are so very thankful he has a friend community he can depend upon for shelter and solidarity.
When asked about the situation as he evacuated, our son said, “I’m in survival mode. I’m just trying to get everything I need in my car so I’m ready to bounce quickly. It’s so surreal, too. Outside, with the black smoke wall and red sun, there’s like a golden hour lighting over everything, even though it’s only noon. Very strange and devastating.”
When asked about the response, he said, “Listening to the radio reports is pretty bleak since resources are stretched so thin. Firefighters have to let some places burn. It’s scary around here, but there have been moments I’ve caught on the news of people pitching in and helping.”
He said that community is essential. “My friend group has been very proactive about checking in and ensuring we all have evacuation plans. Folks in safer areas are opening up their homes. So that stuff is nice, but it’s still a very precarious and grim situation.”
Unfortunately, the grimness my son described did not happen unexpectedly.
Local fire experts and climatologists blame climate change directly for the fires. The region experienced extreme heat this past summer, followed by unusual patterns this fall and winter. Alex Hall, a UCLA climate scientist, pointed to Southern California’s hydroclimate extreme weather patterns, which are either extremely wet or dry.
Hall said, “Climate change is increasing the overlap between extremely dry vegetation conditions later in the season and the occurrence of these wind events.”
In a briefing, Hall pointed out the tinderbox created by climate change: “Southern California has experienced a particularly hot summer, followed by almost no precipitation during what is normally our wet season. And all of this comes on the heels of two very rainy years, which means there is plenty of fuel for potential wildfires.”
Such devastation and destruction are becoming far too familiar among Californian residents. According to CA Fire, “Fifteen of the state’s 20 most destructive fires have occurred in the past 10 years.” Between these latest wildfires, estimates report that the area could suffer over $10 billion in losses.
Climate change is real, causing more destruction than we ever imagined.
As people of faith, we must lead the fight against climate change. If we genuinely believe the Creator gave us the responsibility to care for creation (Genesis 1:26), then we are failing miserably. We need to do better.
As I look at the images from Southern California, I am reminded of the words from the Prophet Isaiah, who called upon God’s people to do better: “They will look to the earth, but they will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be thrust into thick darkness” (Isaiah 8:22).
According to a Christian group of scientists, BioLogos, “The Christian vision of creation care is rooted in Scripture.” The group cites numerous Bible verses, pointing to Psalm 24 as motivation to be good climate stewards: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
If we are called to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves, we must prioritize fighting climate change. As you contemplate how best to do this in your community, please remember the images my son took from his front porch.
And as you think about those images, remember words from Scripture when God created this earth and “saw everything made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
