The terrifying days that led my aunt, Preya Vekaria, and her family to make the difficult choice to evacuate occurred just before they were caught in the dangerous rush of the mass exodus.
In early January, wildfires spread with unprecedented speedacross the US state of Los Angeles, fuelled by the powerful Santa Ana winds. By January 7th, a fire ignited in the Pacific Palisades area near the LA coast, likely sparked by downed power lines. Caught in the flames were my family—Preya, Hemant, and their children. This is their story:
THE INITIAL WARNING SIGNS
Preya Vekaria, aged 43, recalls the first signs of danger:
“I could see the smoke, and my heart plummeted. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but once I saw the smoke, all I could think about was my boys. Alerts were being sent out, but little did we know, they were either accidental or irrelevant, depending on where you lived. These alerts became a routine over the next ten days.”
After several days of uncertainty, Preya began packing essential items for the five of them, not knowing when they might receive an official evacuation order for their area.
HEMANT’S PRIORITIES
Although Preya’s husband, Hemant, wasn’t initially as concerned about the fire near their home, the reality hit him when colleagues at work were evacuated overnight. Only a few, including himself, were allowed to return to the office.
“My priority, once we received the evacuation alert, was gathering photos and other important documents—things that were irreplaceable,” Hemant shared
THE CHILDREN’S PERSPECTIVE
Even the children weren’t left unscathed. Preya and Hemant’s eldest son, Devin, aged 11, realized the gravity of the situation when he received the evacuation message on his school computer. He became emotional when he was sent home from school, uncertain when he would see his friends again.
The Vekarias, trying to avoid the chaotic mass exodus, began packing their bare essentials into the car at 7:00 PM on a Friday night. Little Dhruv, Devin’s younger brother, was not afraid to admit the emotional toll the situation took on him:
“As I was packing my most precious toys, the tears started to fall as the memories came flooding back. All my toys are precious, especially the Christmas presents I had just received.”
In the end, whilst they set off towards the safety of Hemant’s parent’s home, some two hours away, on Saturday morning, they were greatly relieved that this was unnecessary as the fires were brought under control soon after. They were eventually able to return the Pacific Palisades area without fear of losing their precious home. This was certainly an experience that Devin and Dhruv were not likely to forget anytime soon.
THE RAPID SPREAD OF THE FIRES
The speed and ferocity at which the fires spread made the global news and dry weather conditions, and the strong winds worsened the situation. On January 7th, the Eaton Fire started in Altadena, quickly escalating as both fires expanded, surrounding more areas and growing in size. Within days, other smaller fires ignited, destroying additional buildings and businesses.
The fires were catastrophic, ultimately claiming the lives of 29 people and destroying over 18,000 structures. Livelihoods were being destroyed before residents’ eyes, and there was little anyone could do as nature took its course.
By Rukshmani Khimani, Year 7
