Large wildfires are devastating Los Angeles. To date, over 40,000 acres have been burned down, 12,000 houses destroyed, 23 people have died from the fires, and many have been injured. Among those affected by the fires is Christian Vilina, a former St. Mary’s student of the class of 2011, who currently lives in Pasadena, California on the edge of the Eaton Fire. He graciously granted the Diplomat an interview to share his experience.
Vilina was instructed to evacuate from his area on Wednesday, January 8th, and told that returning on Saturday, January 11th was safe. Having lived in a city often prone to wildfires, Vilina was somewhat used to it but said this time’s wildfire was especially devastating. Fortunately, Vilina and his fiance safely evacuated in time, and Vilina house was safe and not affected by the fire.
“We have fires in Los Angeles often, but unfortunately I had never seen fires of this magnitude. We did our best to remain calm and gather up our essentials from our home, including our two pets. My fiancé and I had to evacuate our home slightly west of Pasadena with our two pets, and we went to stay with family south of all the fires that were occurring.”
“The city has been absolutely incredible at rallying together and supplying essentials for those who need it,” Vilina said. He also explained that despite all of the chaos, everyone has been supportive of each other. Many communities have been offering free places to stay for those who were forced to leave their homes, as well as shelters for pets. Multinational national companies including YouTube, Google, and Amazon have donated over $ 10 million, To help LA recover from the devastating wildfires. Wellness centers are also providing free counseling sessions for those in need as well. Vilina works at an immersive theater company, and his theater has been providing tickets to families who have been affected to cheer people up. Vilina and his fiance also donated clothes and supplies to those in need as well.
When asked if he wanted anything else to share, VIlina said we are looking for any sort of silver lining in this situation, it is clear that people continue to come together during moments of crisis to help each other. So in your everyday life at SMIS, find moments to help your fellow classmates who may need it”. Vilina said.
