Resulting from the strong Santa Ana winds of 2025, the Eaton Fire hit hard, leaving San Marino residents facing a crisis that many never expected. With school canceled for the week, everyone found themselves in a need to adjust to a situation that struck as a surprise all over San Gabriel Valley. The experience was similar to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, where everything changed in an instant, and people were forced to adapt quickly to a new reality.
Jake Hernandez, 12, stuck to a simple routine. “I worked out and read books to keep myself busy,” he said. With the chaos going on around him, Jake focused on keeping up with the things he could control.
For Adam Iptchilar, the fire was much more personal. “Since we lived around the Sierra Madre and the affected areas, we were one of the first few people to leave, and our family just kept checking on our house to see if it was still there,” he explained. While Jake’s experience was less directly impacted, Adam’s situation was filled with the uncertainty of potentially losing his home. “It was tough not knowing if it would still be there when we returned,” Adam said.
Adelynne Yang, a junior, made the decision to leave San Marino altogether to escape the thick smoke. “I went to San Diego to stay with some relatives, the air was better there,” she said. It was her way of protecting herself and her family from the effects of the fire. “It felt like what we all did during the pandemic, just trying to find a place where things felt safer, even if it meant leaving home,” Adelynne noted.
By Tuesday afternoon, the fire was 89% contained, having burned over 14,000 acres. The damage was severe: more than 9,400 homes destroyed and 17 people lost their lives. Thousands were forced to evacuate their homes, and while some areas in south Altadena were cleared, others remained under “soft closures,” meaning residents couldn’t return yet. For those watching the fire through the news, the ongoing uncertainty felt familiar. The constant updates on evacuation orders and air quality were a reminder of the pandemic’s early days when daily updates shaped everyone’s lives.
The fire, like the pandemic, forced everyone to adjust to a new reality. “It was just like COVID again,” said Jake. “Adjust quickly, stay indoors, and keep checking the news.” It was hard not to compare the two experiences. Both crises demanded that people take precautions and make tough decisions, whether that meant evacuating or simply staying inside to avoid the smoke. Just like the pandemic, people found themselves relying on others and finding tasks to do to stay busy, while surrounded by chaos.
Just like during the COVID-19 pandemic, people found ways to protect themselves and their families, adjusting their routines and habits to stay safe. Evidenced by the Pasadena Convention Center and frequent posts of GoFundMe pages all over Instagram, friends within a community helped each other, stayed informed, and did what they could to manage the chaos surrounding them.
