A day ago, this column was going to be about what a difference a year can make.
I was going to write about how, a year ago, the Chargers were in disarray, in need of a reset, and then Jim Harbaugh walked through the door. About how, a year ago, Rancho Cucamonga’s C.J. Stroud was on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, leading his Houston Texans to a playoff appearance, but how now … you know what?
On Tuesday, the teams’ opposite trajectories setting them up to intersect in a wild-card game seemed relevant – until those first news alerts about a fire in the Pacific Palisades pinged our phones as the Chargers’ practice was getting under way at The Bolt on Tuesday.
Those first images – a picture of the volcanic plume, texted from LAX; and then footage on local news stations – sent a shudder. It was not going to be a good day.
It was going to be a day of demarcation. Before Jan. 7, 2024. After Jan. 7, 2024.
The day Southern California burned.
Palisades. Eaton. Hurst.
Names of infernos we won’t forget.
The sirens will echo, the smoke will stick, a most unfortunate olfactory memory.
And, oh, the heartache. Five dead, tens of thousands of acres scorched, more than 1,110 structures destroyed, as of Wednesday afternoon.
If you weren’t severely impacted, you probably know someone who was. And I’m so sorry.
We’ll all remember the winds that wouldn’t quit whipping, pushing the flames without abandon, not caring what or who was in the way. Not caring whether it was by the the beach or near the mountains, whether the fire was burning through homes big or small, if they belonged to movie stars or star athletes or non-athletic regular people.
If your phone had juice, your social media feeds became a mix of friends and family and the famous all trying to stay safe, all aghast at the destruction happening in each other’s neighborhoods.
LeBron James posted: “Praying for everyone in Southern California!!” His coach, JJ Redick, said his family had evacuated. Kawhi Leonard left the Clippers in Denver, returning to be with family members who have been affected. Players and fans at La Salle’s girls basketball game against St. Mary’s Academy were evacuated in the second quarter as the Eaton Fire took off nearby in Altadena.
Sua Cravens, the former USC and NFL safety turned football analyst, documented his family’s escape with some chaotic video footage of an orange and purple sky, the palm trees in frame looking like they were head-banging: “Fire was literally maybe 500 yards away! Smoke and chaos … throughout my neighborhood! Pulled my daughters out of bed and headed south. Please pray for LA!! My house will most likely be gone in the next hour at this pace.”
But when the sun allegedly rose through the blanket of smoke, he posted this morning: “The fires were contained in our area, so shoutout to the firefighters that came through!”
He was among the fortunate. Elsewhere, ball fields burned at Palisades Charter High, where Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss went to school.
And Darian Vaziri – aka Dime Dropper, the “Locked On Clippers” podcast host – posted on social media that he had lost his home and everything he owned in the Palisades fire. All he had left, he wrote, was what had been in his immediate possession. “The clothes on my back, my new Sabrinas (sneakers), my car, and a couple basketballs.”
“I no longer have videos of me hooping as a kid, all the games I played and the home videos of my late family members,” he lamented. “That’s what hurts the most.”
Responsibly, the Kings postponed their home game against Calgary on Wednesday night. And my kids’ school district called off classes for the rest of the week. Maybe yours’ did too.
Planet Fitness sent out an e-mail blast to promote the fact that the chain was offering anyone in the area who had ben impacted by the fires – first responders and residents – free access “to shower, recharge, and relax,” no membership required.
And the Chargers, who a year ago weren’t sniffing the playoffs and who, a blissful day ago, couldn’t smell the smoke, canceled one of their “Charge Up to Playoff” events but turned the others into supply drives for area evacuation centers. They’re asking their fans for bottled water, blankets, new or gently used clothes, first aid kits, hygiene products and the like.
The organization also said it would give $200,000 between the American Red Cross, L.A. Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon and pet rescue operations sheltering displaced animals.
“While we’re currently experiencing unprecedented conditions that seemingly cannot get any worse as we deal with multiple fires across our region,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said. “We’re also witnessing our community at its very best.”
Appreciate the sentiment, but I would prefer to be feeding you Harbaugh-isms. And that the containment on our minds had to do with how the Chargers will defend Stroud. And that the analysis we’re waiting for had to do with what went right and wrong on the field and not across so many large swaths of this beautiful, diverse region we sing about when we’re winning.
Not a perfect day, not at all. But I’ll tell you: I love L.A. Hang in there, neighbors. Be safe.
