by InTrieste
Raging wildfires have engulfed large swaths of Los Angeles County, displacing over 100,000 residents, and blanketing the region in smoke. Fueled by intense winds and dry conditions, the fires have spread rapidly, prompting a state of emergency declaration. For Californians living in Trieste, the news has been difficult to process.
The infernos, described as some of the most devastating in the region’s history, have torn through neighborhoods on the city’s outskirts and are threatening densely populated areas. Entire communities are under evacuation orders, and the battle to contain the flames is far from over.
For Californians living abroad, the news has been difficult to process. In Trieste, a community of expatriates from the Golden State has been following the developments with growing anxiety and heartbreak.
“It’s terrifying,” said Nick, a Californian who has lived in Trieste for eight years and owns a home in the San Francisco Bay Area. “My daughter-in-law’s family is in downtown Los Angeles, well away from the fires for now. But with the wind, the smoke could become a major issue. My friend Mark, a GIS expert tracking disasters worldwide, had to evacuate his home. These fires are truly catastrophic and unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
Nick emphasized the scale of the disaster, noting that California’s vast size often escapes comprehension. “Los Angeles extends roughly 80 kilometers, and California is 25% larger than Italy. The state’s economy, at $3 trillion, dwarfs Italy’s at $2 trillion. These fires are impacting a region that’s as important economically as it is geographically massive.”
For Erin, originally from Southern California and living in Trieste for a decade, the fires are hitting close to home.
“The devastation is hard to fathom,” she said. “I went to university near where the largest fire is burning, and it’s heartbreaking to see neighborhoods I’ve known and loved reduced to ashes. These are places that have always been a beautiful part of Los Angeles. I don’t think anyone imagined wildfires could get this close to such densely populated areas.”
Elaine, who moved to Trieste from Northern California a few years ago, described the impact on her sister in Long Beach, who works at UCLA.
“We were just there visiting her,” she said. “It’s surreal to think that the Skirball Museum, which we visited on Sunday, is now closed, along with the Getty and other landmarks. My sister says Long Beach feels normal, but the open spaces she loves are burning, and one of her students lost their home in Pacific Palisades. It’s heartbreaking.”
For Erin Mc, who has lived in Trieste for ten years, the fires are a constant worry.
“My best friend is very close to the evacuation zone,” she said. “She describes it as hell, and there’s no end in sight.”
