2025 started off in an unexpected way. Little did anyone know that on the second day of winter term wildfires would be raging throughout the Southern California area, leading to many people evacuating campus. I remember first smelling the smoke on Tuesday, January 7th while my friends and I were eating dinner in Browne dining hall. Even though we first thought that something had burnt in the kitchen, the windy and smoky environment outside suggested otherwise. When we got back to our rooms that night, the fires had gotten worse. We could even see the Eaton fire from the third floor of the Bechtel Residence (image below). When the Bechtel RAs first suggested we pack a to-go bag, we didn’t expect to have to actually evacuate; however, the next morning, the smell of the smoke was so strong that we decided to leave campus.
The next ten days were an odd mix of figuring out where to stay and deciding whether to return to campus or not, all while trying to stay on top of classes and homework. While classes were cancelled the first few days, some professors posted online video lectures to help us stay on track with content. As it was only the first week of the term, we weren’t that busy with work yet, and my friends and I ended up exploring Irvine, where we were staying. We went to the beach (as most of our evacuated classmates ended up doing!), tried new restaurants, and explored the UC Irvine campus.
The second week, Caltech required all classes to have a remote option, so we attended classes on Zoom. It was reminiscent of the 2020 pandemic (bringing back a little bit of PTSD from those times haha), but as I was staying with three of my friends (who are also studying mechanical engineering), this made problem sets and online lectures more bearable. We had the same classes, so one of us joined the Zoom on our laptop (the WiFi where we were staying wasn’t the best), and we had a mini watch party. Every class also consisted of us snacking–over the ten days, we finished a giant 30 oz Goldfish carton (we were addicted)!
Staying off campus at the beginning of winter term was definitely a weird experience, but looking back, my friends and I made the most of it. We cooked, baked cookies, and went on long walks every day to watch the sunset (we stayed right next to a large park and walking trail). We were relieved when we got back to campus, however, eager to restart our regular routines.
The fires were unexpected and were really detrimental to a lot of JPL and Caltech staff, administration, faculty, and students. A lot of people lost their homes to the fires, and Caltech/JPL wants to support the community as best as they can. They have organized the Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief Fund to help members of the Caltech community who have been affected by the fires. Please consider donating to the fund (link below)!
