The wildfires that erupted throughout Los Angeles County in early January were a brutal reminder of the precariousness that defines life in California. For many Angelenos, the flames didn't just threaten their homes — they shattered a sense of security, leaving them to navigate a landscape marked by uncertainty, grief, and, for some, total loss.
On January 8, the Sunset Fire broke out and forced Vox’s director of grant and foundation development Elizabeth Price to evacuate from her Hollywood Hills apartment. What happened next was surreal. In her recent essay, Elizabeth reflects on what it means to call LA home and what that home really represents when the community surrounding it is literally burning.
Having lived in LA for over 15 years, Elizabeth’s connection to the city is animated by everyday rituals — the scent of street tacos, the joy of summer jazz at LACMA, and the shared understanding that certain spaces are as much a part of you as you are of them. When the fires began to rage across the region, especially in neighborhoods like Altadena, which has long served as a stronghold for middle-class Black and brown families, those connections were tested. As homes were consumed by flames, a larger reality looms: Wildfires, fueled by climate change, are hitting communities already facing systemic challenges.
What follows is not just a personal account of fleeing danger, but Elizabeth’s poignant reflection on what it means to lose not your material possessions but your sense of place. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, there’s hope — a view of a more connected, compassionate Los Angeles that provides a sense of possibility, even as the city grapples with the aftermath of destruction. In the end, the piece isn’t just about surviving a fire. It’s about what we rebuild when the flames are gone.
—Paige Vega, climate editor
