Evacuated Arcadia Unified Students Reflect on Bobcat Fire Impact
Arcadia firefighters tireless efforts in action as they now combat the El Dorado Fire.
(Photo Courtesy of Arcadia Fire Department’s Facebook Page)
“I realized I had to evacuate when I saw the fire coming down the mountain; every 10 minutes it just kept getting bigger and closer,” recounted Arcadia High School junior Zoe Bui. The Bobcat Fire, currently at 62% containment and having burned approximately 114,202 acres as of Sept. 29, is one of Los Angeles County’s largest recorded wildfires, taking second to the 2009 La Canada Flintridge Station Fire, which burned 160,000 acres. As a result of rapidly raging flames throughout the Angeles National Forest, many Arcadia Unified School District students and families were impacted, two of whom were Arcadia High School students Zoe Bui and Joyce Pang.
This year, California has experienced a record number of wildfires, with over 4.7% of its total land burned thus far. Since multiple large fires had been burning at the same time, including the nearby El Dorado and Apple Fires, affected areas suffered from unhealthy air quality in previous weeks. For days on end, Arcadia residents looked up to see gray skies with a faint, red sun shining weakly above.
While the Bobcat Fire began near Cogswell Dam in the Azusa Canyon, Arcadia residents started receiving evacuation warnings on Labor Day, Sept. 7, which came a mere 24 hours after the blaze was first reported. Throughout the week, evacuation warnings remained in place, with a voluntary evacuation notice issued only a day after the warning. By Sunday, Sept. 13, streets north of Elkins Avenue and east of Santa Anita were filled with the blaring reds of firetrucks and police cars, announcing the immediate need for evacuation.
With warnings publicized a week before people were evacuated from their homes, many were able to prepare for their leave ahead of time. “My mom told my family to start packing in case we were going to get evacuated around Monday, Sep. 7, so I had already packed some things and had several days to think over what I wanted to take,” shared Pang.
Bui and her family stand outside their house watching the Bobcat Fire creep down the mountain.
(Photo courtesy of Zoe Bui)
After receiving an alert Sunday morning about the evacuation, Pang packed a few last-minute items, remembering that, “It was a bit chaotic because I kept rummaging through my room to see if there was anything else I had forgotten or missed.”
Thinking back, Pang said, “As I was packing, although I couldn’t take too much, I did find a strange solace in the fact that all my belongings that meant the most to me could fit in a few clustered backpacks in the corner of my room, as well as the fact that I wasn’t emotionally attached to most of the items I had.”
To some, news of the evacuations was expected; for others, however, the alert came as a surprise. While Pang said, “I already expected to be evacuated because the fire was getting closer, and I could see it from my house,” Bui shared, “I didn’t think I would be evacuated at all [... and] didn’t feel scared until I saw it on the news that it was a quarter-mile away from my house.”
Forced to leave their homes, Bui and Pang not only had to adjust to a new living environment; they also had to adapt to virtual learning from their hotel rooms. “It was really hard to do my school work because hotel wifi isn’t the best,” Bui explained. “Thankfully, all of my teachers were really flexible and understood my situation. They told me to take my time and that there’s no rush.” For Bui, the evacuations mostly impacted school work. “I have two other brothers who also have online school, so having all of our Zoom calls at once in the same room was a nightmare.” Pang shared a similar struggle, “My parents have meetings sometimes, and my sister and I have to attend class, so it was hard to find different areas within the hotel room to work in.”
Another major concern for Pang was the safety of her house. “The hardest part about evacuating was not knowing what, if anything, would remain when we return,” Pang said. “Even if the fire didn’t reach our house, I knew the ashes from the fire could fly randomly and our house, unfortunately, is almost completely made of flammable material.”
Since many had been staying inside due to Covid-19, Pang explained that life didn’t look much different other than living in a hotel room’s much smaller space. She mentioned that the fire and smoky air were new reasons to keep them indoors and remarked, “staying in the same room for days was mentally exhausting.”
While it was difficult living away from home, both Bui and Pang expressed a new sense of gratitude and appreciation that sprung from their evacuation experience. “In the past year, coronavirus shutdowns, tearing my ACL, and the recent fire evacuations have all made me realize how much we normally take for granted and how much I should be grateful for,” Pang reflected. Similarly, Bui noted, “My situation could’ve been much worse, so I’m grateful and appreciative that we are all safe.”
Thinking back on the evacuations, Pang shared, “Although it wasn’t the easiest of times, I’m still incredibly grateful that my family was safe and healthy.” Bui, having also lived in close quarters with her family, said, “Being stuck in one room added to my TikTok addiction, but it also brought my family closer together.”
With the help of the firefighters’ hard work and dedication, Arcadia residents were able to return home a few days after the evacuations. Even though the Bobcat Fire is still burning, Foothills residents are no longer placed under evacuation warnings.
Arcadia High School junior Joyce Pang snaps a shot of a helicopter bringing water to help put out the Bobcat Fire from her house.
(Photo courtesy of Joyce Pang)
Apart from a growing sense of appreciation for local firefighters, Pang found herself increasingly grateful for modern-day technology. “It has allowed us to store many memories and pieces of work online on clouds, drives, and the jumbled web of the internet, where they can't be burned down.”
Perhaps the most important for Bui was the lesson she gained from the experience. “I’ve realized that sometimes you will come across obstacles that will get in your way, but the best thing to do is stay positive and make the best out of it.”
Arcadia High's APN News Team video interview with Zoe Bui and update on the Bobcat Fire
For additional information on the Bobcat Fire’s impact on Arcadia, visit www.ArcadiaCa.gov/Bobcat. To sign up for future emergency alerts and notifications, text your zip code to 888777 to receive Nixle alerts or sign-up for alerts at www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Alert.