The Fires ~ 1.17.2025

The Eaton and the Palisades fires that swept through Los Angeles County in early 2025 affected so many Californians and displaced thousands of residents and animals. My own family, clients, friends, and colleagues were affected. 

Early in the morning the day after the Eaton fire had firmly taken root in the foothills overlooking Altadena, Eagle Rock, and La Crescenta evacuated from our home to Orange County near our family. Daddy Dog and Mommy Panda had just finished packing up for potential evacuation the night before when the power went out at the house, and it would stay off for almost a week. Cool Cat C and Little P had already gone to sleep, and Daddy Dog stayed up all night monitoring the spread of the Eaton fire in case we needed to evacuate in the middle of the night.

Around 5:30 a.m., Daddy Dog woke up Mommy Panda to pack up the car. Around 6 a.m., Cool Cat C heard us in the living room moving luggage to the car, and came out of her room with her bags looking quite anxious. She packed 4 bags with things she wanted to “save” from her room. Little P also woke up at 6 a.m., because that was her normal wake up time, and was excited to go for a car ride. We passed by smoke and fires on the 210 freeway, but thankfully, traffic had not become too congested yet.

When we got to our family’s house in Orange county, Cool Cat C was still anxious and quiet, while Little P was excited to see their dog. We had breakfast and Mommy Panda booked a hotel nearby. Over the week, we went from a suite to 2 hotel rooms side by side, and then to an AirBnB. After the first night at the hotel, I realized that we needed separate rooms because Cool Cat C liked sleeping in and Little P liked waking herself and everyone else multiple times at night and at the crack of dawn. So Daddy Dog stayed with Little P and I stayed with Cool Cat C in the neighboring room. Thankfully school had been paused in the wake of the fire for both of the girls, so we did not have to worry about getting them to do online school from the hotel rooms. After about 5 days, Mommy Panda found an AirBnB with more room for virtual school that was starting back up for Cool Cat C, a kitchen so we didn’t have to keep eating out and washer and dryer for laundry.

When the evacuation order lifted in our area, Daddy Dog insisted that he go back as several of his friends’ houses and a gym that he goes to burned down and he wanted to help with the donation efforts. However, the power was spotty still and the fire was still uncontained so I stayed with the girls at the AirBnB until the electricity was more stable because Little P can’t live without her tablet and WiFi, I needed stable internet for work, and Cool Cat C’s school was still closed down because of some damage sustained during the wind storm. To help me take care of the kids without Daddy Dog, I asked Little P and Cool Cat C’s PA, Green Carr, to come out to help me to which she readily accepted. Although thankfully she did not need to evacuate, she still had a bag ready just in case things changed in her area and she was on the road heading toward us. 

When Green Carr got there, she fell in with the girls and would joke around with Cool Cat C and play with Little P, who was particularly rambunctious since she had not been to school, her after school therapies or social recreational activities for a week! I had found an AirBnB by the beach, because Little P loves the beach, and Mommy Panda wanted to make sure she got more outdoor activity to get her energy out. It was a nice town house that was just a 2 minute walk from the beach and and we were able to set up different zones for the kids and me to work remotely. I got the master bedroom, Little P got her own room, and Cool Cat C and Green Carr shared a room with some bunk beds (Cool Cat C got top bunk, and Green Carr was relegated to bottom bunk).

The evening before we checked out, we arranged for Daddy dog to pick up the kids since the electricity was back on and seemed stable and the fires were getting contained, so that Green Car and Little P didn’t have to get up 2 hours earlier to check out and drive back to start school the next day. And I could finally sleep in the next morning without Little P waking me up by 6 a.m., and not be rushed to pack up when I finally checked out of the AirBnB. 

This experience taught us that Cool Cat C was not as adverse to changes in routine as previously thought, but Little P can handle a change in routine for only a few days before becoming stir crazy and much more easily dysregulated. Thankfully, I had the help of their PA, Green Carr, so I can get some respite during the challenging days.