The deadly wildfires began on January 7 and have since destroyed 12,000 structures. Since the first flames sparked in the Santa Ana winds on January 7, at least 16 have been confirmed dead, 12,000 structures have been destroyed, and over 150,000 residents have been ordered to leave their homes.
Those forced to evacuate, leaving behind houses full of memories, have had to frantically pack necessities and decide which valuables they want to salvage in case their properties are ruined in the fires. For content creator Hana, her bag included a journal, a solar battery charger, “really sturdy shoes,” a mask, extra clothes, and food for her dog.
Meanwhile, Ysabelle Wallace, an influencer with over 1.3 million followers, made sure to grab all of her electronics — phone, hard drive, camera, headphones, and laptop — and her entire makeup bag but not many clothes when she packed “under pressure.”.
Wallace filled suitcases and tote bags with toiletries, only packing two pairs of underwear, two of the same T-shirt, and her favorite sweatpants. The rest of her pants were in her dirty laundry piles. “I didn’t have any pants to pack,” she exclaimed in her January 9 post.
TikToker Tara Lynn realized she had the same problem — she packed more products than she did clothing. “I was in a moment of panic,” Lynn explained. “Let’s see what my panicked brain found most important.”. Lynn proceeded to pull out “all of her favorite toiletries,” a pair of sneakers, her camera, Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme sleep gummies, and two boxes filled with memorabilia such as concert tickets and music festival wristbands.
