Los Angeles Wildfires: A Visual Timeline
On January 7, 2025, a series of destructive wildfires quickly began spreading across Los Angeles County. Driven by hurricane-force winds and fueled by historically dry conditions, the fires exploded into two of the most destructive wildfires in California history: the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, which burned for 24 days and changed life forever in communities like Altadena, Malibu, and Palisades.
Project HOPE’s Emergency Response Team deployed immediately to the emergency to deliver relief items like hygiene supplies, personal protective equipment, and re-entry kits for people who were displaced by the fires. Six months on, our team is now focusing on filling the existing service gap in mental health and resilience programming for children, parents, teachers, and social workers who are processing the trauma and devastation of the wildfires.
Here is how our response unfolded as the level of need became clear in the aftermath of the historic and catastrophic fires.
‘The Immediate Destruction is Staggering’
The Eaton Fire burned for 24 days and ravaged Altadena, taking 18 lives and destroying more than 9,000 buildings. “The immediate destruction is staggering, but the long-term impacts will be felt for years to come,” said Chessa Latifi, Project HOPE’s Deputy Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response.
As the fires burned, Project HOPE’s Emergency Response Team deployed to affected areas to deliver relief items and hygiene supplies to communities in need. In the ensuing weeks, our team would deliver air purifiers, air filters, re-entry kits, dignity products, clean water, over-the-counter medicines, and Psychological First Aid items for children.
Project HOPE’s initial response also included the delivery of essential supplies and protective gear to Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters on the front lines of the Palisades Fire.
Just days after the Eaton Fire broke out, Project HOPE supported a mobile medical unit provided by Lestonnac Free Clinic, where community members impacted by the fire could access free primary health and vision care.
It quickly became clear that mental health would be a central component of Project HOPE’s response to the fires. As the needs emerged, Project HOPE developed a comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support program to strengthen the capacity of frontline workers and meet the urgent mental health needs of children.
‘Mental Health Support Must Be a Priority’
Project HOPE team members assemble Kid Kits containing coloring items, fidget toys, slime, Play-Doh, and other items that engage touch and play to support the mental health of children who have experienced a traumatic event.
Kid Kits became a core part of Project HOPE’s broader mental health and psychosocial support response to the fires. “Amidst a backdrop of longstanding systemic and generational challenges in the region, it’s become even more clear that mental health support must be a priority, not an afterthought,” said Stacie Yeldell, Project HOPE mental health specialist.
Project HOPE also launched a weekly mental health group for children at Webster Elementary School in Malibu to help kids process their experiences in a safe space. The school had previously closed due to the Franklin Fire in December and re-opened for one day before closing again for the Palisades Fire.
About 20 kids at the school either lost their homes or were displaced by the Palisades Fire. The group gave them a safe space to process their experiences with a trusted mental health professional. Project HOPE also launched a mental health group for kids at Malibu Elementary School nearby.
As the response grew, Project HOPE launched multiple programs in partnership with trusted community-based organizations centered on healing, connection, and culturally conscious care. After six months, Project HOPE has reached more than 17,000 community members affected by the fires and remains committed to supporting residents during this next chapter of healing and resilience.
‘I Hope to Create a Ripple Effect’
Employees from The Wonderful Company volunteer to pack Wellness Kits for students at a packing event in June. The kits included books, art supplies, games, calm down kits, fidget toys, and more to promote play therapy and a healthy way for young people to process their experiences.
Project HOPE mental health specialist Katie Besignano distributed the kits to students during the last week of school before summer break. “Mental health is sometimes kind of pushed aside or not part of a person’s immediate needs,” Besignano said. “I hope to create a ripple effect — a bigger impact by just one little interaction, or one moment of love.”
Project HOPE mental health specialist Stacie Yeldell leads a mental health workshop at the Altadena Library for community members affected by the Eaton Fire. The library is one of many community spaces where Project HOPE has offered mental health resources to those impacted by the fires.
Mentors from Friends of the Children Los Angeles participate in a Project HOPE mental health session in June. Friends LA connects children who have been impacted by the child welfare system to a long-term mentor, and many of the kids the mentors work with were impacted by the fires. Project HOPE’s session, titled “Rooted, Together,” covered topics including trauma exposure, vicarious trauma, and healthy boundaries.
Photos by Rezeta Veliu and James Buck for Project HOPE, 2025.
