The Wildfire Victims We Don’t Talk About

In early January, wildfires erupted on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California, and, fueled by especially dry conditions, a diminished fire department, and rapacious Santa Ana winds, quickly spread into out-of-control blazes that would burn more than 40,000 acres and rank among the deadliest and most destructive fires in the state’s history.

Amid these tragic events—which killed at least twenty-nine people, destroyed more than 16,000 homes and other structures, upended lives and ecosystems, and spewed toxins into the air—the city’s large unsheltered population was left exposed to the elements, exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Miles away from the epicenter of the fires, the hurricane-strength winds that coincided with the start of the blazes ravaged tents and makeshift structures in Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest unhoused communities, leaving many without even basic cover. In the days that followed, ash blanketed the streets and sidewalks, and some of the worst air quality index measurements were recorded in the downtown area.

Studies have shown this kind of air quality can increase immediate and long-term cardiovascular and respiratory risk, a particular concern in a community already rife with underlying health issues and little opportunity to escape the smoke.

With much of the county’s focus centered on the areas directly hit by the fires, grassroots mutual aid efforts led the way in responding to the far-flung impact of the crisis on the unsheltered individuals of Skid Row—the extent of which we will likely not understand for years.

The organization I work with, Blue Hollywood Street Sanctuary (BHSS), a community-building and harm-reduction program led by people with lived homelessness experience, and our partner organization, The Sidewalk Project, were among those on the front lines of this community care.