Danielle Harper is watching the wildfire in her hometown from afar. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Danielle Harper is watching the wildfire in her hometown from afar. Photo / Rafaella Melo
More than 10,000 kilometres from Los Angeles, a Hawke’s Bay resident can only sit and watch as the devasting wildfires that have ravaged her hometown now close in on her dad’s and sister’s homes.
Danielle Harper, who has lived in the Bay for seven years, was in her Havelock North kitchen on Wednesday morning when she first read the news online.
“I immediately thought of my dad with dementia and how he is going to cope. He was the first person I called.”
She said the emotional toll of watching the destruction unfold from afar had been immense.
“The last two days have been pretty emotional. I’m just crushed by the whole experience,” Harper said.
A beach house is engulfed in flames as the Palisades fire burns along the Pacific Coast Highway in California. Over 10,900 hectares and 10,000 buildings have been burned so far. Photo / Agustin Paullier
“Having gone through the cyclone here two years ago, I think I have some understanding of dealing with a natural disaster. But just looking at the proportion of what’s happening there, millions of people live in Los Angeles. It’s devastating.”
Harper has close family and friends in Los Angeles.
“My mum lives in Marina Del Rey and is safe for now.”
Danielle Harper's mother can see the fire clouds from her balcony in Marina Del Rey, California.
On the other hand, Harper’s father, who is separated from her mother, and her sister, had just received evacuation orders on Friday afternoon (NZ time).
“I have cousins who lost their homes in Studio City and friends who lost their homes in the Palisades.”
Talking to her family constantly to obtain updates on her loved ones, Harper said it was heartbreaking to hear about places from her past being destroyed.
“There was a studio that I used to go to there and a beautiful little village that they had created. It was such a beautiful community, and it’s all gone. It’s hard to understand the scale of the destruction.”
Harper said summer wildfires are expected in September and October, but this January outbreak is “unbelievable”.
“I was born in LA and lived there for 35 years before moving here. Those wildfires are like nothing we’ve experienced.”
She attributes that to mismanagement, including a US$17.5 million cut to the state’s fire budget and understaffing among the firefighters.
“Why weren’t there controlled burns done to manage the brush in the Angeles National Forest? How did we run out of water while fighting these fires? LA residents are boiling their water because non-potable water was let into the drinking system, just to keep enough pressure for the fire hoses.”
Saddle Peak in Agoura Hills, California, where Danielle Harper's sister lives.
Harper said it was a“mixed feeling” to be so far away.
“It’s frustrating being so far away and feeling disconnected, like you can’t help, but, on the other hand, there’s a sense of relief that I’m here, and my family could come and stay here if they needed to.”
Los Angeles has been battling several wildfires since January 7. Latest information released by authorities says over 10,930 hectares (27,000 acres) and 10,000 buildings have been burned.
According to the World Resources Institute, the Palisades fire — the first to erupt and the biggest blaze so far — is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history.
