Fil-Ams grapple with devastating LA fires: ‘It’s like an apocalypse’

The Altadena Community Church is pictured the day after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles resident Benny Uy could only watch in disbelief as  the Altadena Senior Center, where he worked as a facility assistant, burned to the ground on Wednesday.

The day before, he started to worry about the fierce Santa Ana winds causing damage to the center, where senior citizens in the area engaged in social activities.

“The winds were so strong, pushing the glass doors and windows wide open. I reported it to the manager. I had a bad feeling about the winds, but I totally did not expect (the Eaton Fire) to happen. And it happened so fast,” Uy told Inquirer.net USA.

The powerful Santa Ana winds swept down the mountains outside Los Angeles and pushed wildfires into several areas, prompting evacuations.

Uy’s heart sank when he later saw the Altadena Senior Center reduced to rubble.

Uy also shared what he saw on his way to the senior center, saying, “It’s like an apocalypse.”

He said many of the local residents who became his friends at the Altadena Senior Center have lost their homes.

Evacuations

Among the Fil-Ams who evacuated their homes this week was former Sierra Madre Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi.

She moved out of their home, located about six miles from Altadena, Tuesday night with her husband and their dog.

“Thank you to everyone who has shown support during this challenging time,” Arizmendi wrote in her LinkedIn post.

“Let’s keep our community, region and dedicated first responders in our thoughts and prayers.”

In a Facebook post, she reassured friends that she and her husband have safely evacuated to the neighboring city of Azusa.

Fil-Am singer Charmaine Clamor prepared to evacuate when a brush fire in LA’s Hollywood Hills, known as Sunset Fire, kicked off a new wave of evacuation orders and warnings on Jan. 9.

Clamor shared on social media how she and her family “slept in our clothes (jacket, hat, socks)” ready for an evacuation order.

The Sunset Fire has been contained as of Jan. 11.

“We did not end up evacuating,” she said, but they remain prepared as the Santa Ana winds are expected to return.

“I am grateful that we still have our home and each other,” Clamor wrote in her Facebook post.

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“Please continue to pray for all of us. I believe in the power of prayers and community. While I am so grateful to be alive and in our home I feel devastated for those who have lost their homes and lives.”

In another Facebook post, Clamor showed the long lines of residents hoping to snap up air filters to protect themselves from smoke pollution.

Many Fil-Ams, who were under evacuation orders or received evacuation warnings, have posted their experiences on social media, reassuring relatives and friends they are safe and offering to help others.

Other Fil-Ams – including renowned singers Louie Reyes and Becca Godinez, both residents of Los Angeles – have offered prayers for the fire victims.

“The fires are frightening. Many have been evacuated. Praying for everyone… their homes… their safety,” Godinez wrote in a Facebook post.

In an Instagram post, LA-based Fil-Am model Kelsey Merritt, shared information on how to volunteer for relief efforts.

Meanwhile, a team from the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles recently visited evacuation centers to offer assistance to Filipino nationals.

Earlier this week, the Consulate issued an advisory warning Filipinos about the increased risk of fire danger in the region and urged them to heed evacuation warnings.

Southern California is home to about 700,000 Filipinos, with more than 300,000 living in Los Angeles County, according to the 2020 census.

Artesia Councilmember and former Mayor Melissa Ramoso said there was no evacuation warning in effect for Artesia at this time but urged the residents to be prepared.

“Understand the terminology, sign up for emergency alerts and know your family’s emergency plan,” she wrote in her Facebook post.

Ramoso has urged Fil-Ams to be prepared and to monitor developments here.

Filipino nationals who need assistance from the Consulate may call (323) 528-1528.