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When it feels like the world is on fire, sometimes it is.

It has been devastating for all of us seeing wildfires consume thousands of homes, businesses and schools in Southern California these past days. The loss of life and memories is incalculable. This may be the most destructive natural disaster in our lifetimes.

It hurts on multiple levels. I have friends who have been burnt out of house and home. I’ve been to that part of the country many, many times and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the United States. In many places you can see the ocean and feel what has drawn people there for generations. Now, those communities are ashes and husks and thousands of families are not sure whether they will ever return.

There’s both a sense of helplessness and frustration that the wildfires could not be better contained. Seeing families in despair that their homes could not be saved is heartbreaking in part because it feels like it could have been different. This is not an earthquake, where you could say, “Well, what could you do?” Instead, it seems that some of this destruction was avoidable and preventable.

America being what it is in 2025, this disaster has become politicized. Climate change certainly played a role, intensifying the vulnerability of the region and the intensity of the winds. Donald Trump is crowing about blue state failure. California politicians are looking to shift blame and responsibility. Gavin Newsom is looking at Karen Bass, who will be an easy target given that she was abroad when the fires intensified.

To be sure, these fires will have profound political implications. I’ve spoken to multiple Californians who are furious at what they see as profound incompetence by a clumsy, bureaucratic government that failed to protect them when it mattered most. There will be a movement in the days to come calling for change and accountability.

But the impact is felt by all of us because of the scale of the destruction and the human toll. One of our cultural centers has partially burnt to the ground, 24 people have died and thousands are dislocated. If the people of Los Angeles aren’t safe from a fire, who can consider their way of life secure? That’s not a question we have been forced to ask ourselves, but it’s now with us more and more. We are all set to become firefighters in one way or another. I wish it were different.

To donate to shelters for the dislocated, you can do so here ([link removed]) with the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Andrew Yang
Co-Chair, Forward Party
forwardparty.com ([link removed])
andrewyang.com ([link removed])

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