California is known for being The Golden State where there are no boundaries to one’s aspirations. However, the uprise of wildfires have had a significant impact on the success of Californians.

Civilians in highly populated neighborhoods in Southern California, such as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, were forced to flee as blazing wildfires crept into their backyards starting mid December 2017.

Southern California has been intruded by what experts call Thomas Fire, which has a variety of impacts on the daily lives of thousands of Californians. Similarly to most fires, the origin of its name came from its closeness in proximity to Thomas Aquinas College. From the evacuation of more than 90,000 people, to wild animals roaming the streets in search of a new home, to several casualties, it is clear the fire is negatively harming the civilians of California.

Junior Kenneth Guerrero states,“ I personally know families members that were victimized by the incident since they had a house in the hills.”  No matter where wildfires take place, they have the ability to affect those even in New York.

Watching the Thomas Fire unravel to highly populated areas resulted in a frenzy. People never imagined a blazing 5,000 acre inferno right at the cusp of Los Angeles. Some schools closed down for the day, while traffic in California skyrocketed due to commuters moving outland.

Nothing compares to the fear that Southern Californians had to continue to face as they woke up to wildfires. The Thomas Fire has taken people’s homes, jobs, and valuable goods and turned them into ash, leaving thousands of people in California stranded with nowhere to go.

Let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture: what causes wildfires in areas such as California? Environmental factors such as warm winds help the flow and circulation of the fires’ movements. By understanding these factors, such as the area’s hot and dry temperature, this will help others find a resolution to decipher this ongoing issue.

Jordan Hank, a sophomore student at the NYC iSchool, believes that not only is this harming our environment but “…the job loss in the affected areas will have a big impact on the US economic security.”

Since 2000, California has experienced 14 wildfires but 2017 compares to no other. This year has definitely been a challenging year for the citizens of California with four of the deadliest fires occurring in the past 12 months.

Cleo Monrose, who grew up in Los Angeles for 18 years, claims, “… watching this fire affect my close family and friends is honestly so sad”.

Specifically, Santa Barbara County has experienced heavy fires and mass evacuations. This was definitely one of the largest fires they had ever experiences. Since early December, 12,000 residents have evacuated from the area.

Senior Uma Duarte Esgalhad states, “I can’t imagine how hard it is for people living in California during the fire. I used to live in California, and I was there during a wildfire and had to be evacuated. A bunch of my friends had lost their house too.”

Luckily for residents of Southern California, the Red Cross has stepped in to help. Red Cross continues to provide temporary living spaces while people get a grasp of what’s happening.

The abundant number of support groups that continue to help Southern Californian’s get back on their feet is positively impacting everyone. Those in Southern California have received tremendous amounts of help through foundations and organizations such as L.A. Kitchen, The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, and Humane Society of Ventura County.

Uma Esgalhad states,“ I am happy to see that there are a lot of people working together to help the those who were affected.”

These organizations have given the people of Southern California another glimpse of hope through all the tragic events that are occurring. In times of hardship and despair, people unite and work together in order to resolve an issue.