The L.A. Wildfires: Is There Hope Among the Flames?

By John Cloud | Posted January 13, 2025

Forty thousand acres burned, 12,300 structures destroyed, and 24 people killed—those are the combined devastating results of the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires raging in Los Angeles. AccuWeather estimates the financial impact at $150 billion, making this by far the costliest wildfire outbreak in U.S. history. The previous record of $12.5 billion, set by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018, pales in comparison.

Winds intensified on Sunday morning, and severe fire conditions are predicted to persist through Wednesday. In addition to the 24 confirmed deaths, 16 people are missing, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Numerous conspiracy theories about the origins of the fires are spreading online. The finger is being pointed at government officials, direct energy weapons, and even God. One fire is indeed being investigated as an act of arson. However, when the smoke settles, the cause of the fires may not be as important as our response to them.


Tragedy’s Silver Lining

According to California’s website, “More than 7,500 state personnel are on the ground working with local and federal partners,” 1,040 firefighters and 260 fire engines have been deployed, and “California has requested and received commitments for 75 engines from Oregon, 45 engines from Washington, 5 engines from New Mexico, 10 engines from Utah and 25 engines from Idaho, accounting for hundreds of additional firefighters through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.”

Amid tragedy, it’s always moving to see complete strangers coming together to help those in need. Disasters like the L.A. fires never fail to inspire acts of heroism in which individuals put themselves at risk for the good of others. The obvious heroes are the firefighters, police officers, and other personnel coordinating and executing the efforts to combat the blazes. 

But there are others, like Eddie de Ferrari and Ray Moore, who stepped up to help evacuate 90 people from a senior center, mostly in wheelchairs and on gurneys, while the fire approached. Then there is Felipe Carrillo, who saved his house and his neighbor’s by dowsing them with a garden hose for five hours while the rest of the neighborhood burned. 


Everyday Opportunities

We don’t have to wait for something like a fire, tornado, or earthquake to strike our neighborhood before we can help those nearby. People all around us are experiencing personal tragedy every day. Whether it’s the death of a family member, a cancer diagnosis, financial hardship, or a multitude of other difficulties, we can be there to lift others up and give them hope.

The Bible exhorts us to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. And we are promised, “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58:10, 11).


The Good Samaritan

We often refer to an individual who goes out of his way to help a stranger, particularly one in an emergency situation, as a good Samaritan. The phrase comes from what many consider to be Jesus’ most famous parable—The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37).

In the parable, the Samaritan stops to help a man in a tragic and desperate condition—he has been brutally beaten, stripped of his clothing and possessions, and left to die in the ditch. Though the region is known to be a haunt of robbers and thieves, the Samaritan stops to aid the dying man without any guarantee that he won’t be the next victim. He then applies oil and wine as healing agents to the man’s wounds before bandaging them.

It’s said that we should all try to be more like the Samaritan. Indeed, that’s true. But foremost, the Good Samaritan represents Jesus, the Son of God, who, at great personal sacrifice, came to save humanity, represented by the man dying in the ditch. The wine and oil signify Christ’s blood, by which we are forgiven (Matthew 26:28), and the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6), who Jesus sends to bring healing to our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26, 27).


An Open Door

Tragedies like the L.A. fires can really rattle a person and cause them to reassess their priorities in life. It’s at these times that God is often nearest (Psalm 34:18), knocking at the door and waiting to be invited in (Revelation 3:20). Let’s pray that the victims in Los Angeles will find hope in Jesus.

How have you responded to tragedy in your own life? Have you invited Jesus in?

Learn more about the parable of the Good Samaritan in this sermon by Pastor Doug.

John Cloud
John Cloud is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Arkansas. He is passionate about Bible study and family.
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