After the seniors’ first retreat in Wrightwood was canceled because of fires earlier this fall, our retreat, known as Kairos, was rescheduled to take place in Ojai from January 7-10. On the morning of January 7th, many trees had already fallen into the road as we made our way to school. As we waited to board the buses that would take us to our retreat center, some of my classmates were concerned; a severe windstorm had started the night before and now the wind was getting worse. A few minutes later, our buses left the FSHA campus.  As we  drove down the 101 freeway, we looked out the windows to see large clouds of smoke just west of us and soon heard about the Palisades fire. Finally, we made it to the retreat center. Typically at retreats, students are asked to turn in their cell phones when they arrive. However, at Ojai we were told we would be allowed to keep them the first night to get updates on the fires. 

Toward the end of our first night, I left my phone in the cabin to charge as we all gathered around a campfire to make s’mores. People started getting messages on their phones, however, that a fire had started in Altadena. One by one, my classmates stepped away from the group to call home. As my classmates gathered around one person’s phone  to look at a map of the fire, I realized that the fire was spreading quickly, and it was getting close to my neighborhood. I rushed to our cabin to get my phone and call my mom, joining a large group of girls who were already speaking with their families as they were preparing to evacuate, and they tried to tell their families what to pack for them. 

That night was incredibly stressful. Many of my friends’ houses were threatened as the Eaton fire spread, and no one was sure of what was happening. The next morning  everyone checked in on each other and comforted those whose houses were damaged or in danger. Thankfully my family’s evacuation was brief; they were able to return home safely the next day.  Tragically, many people on the retreat were directly impacted by the fire. Although it was stressful to be away from home in a time of tragedy, we were all thankful to have each other around to support one another.