Growth Through Destruction: Ten miles from Hurst Fire

“Yes! No school!”

Kate Stimson, a senior at PHC, is jolted awake by her brother Bryce’s screams of joy. It is Wednesday, only eight days into 2025. The only reason that Kate can think of for Bryce to be off from school is a fire day.

Kate recounts her experience living in Southern California during the devastating wildfires of 2025.  She gives us a perspective into the fear, loss, and grief Californians face. For Kate, the fires remind her of how God heals broken spirits.

Living in Southern California, fires are normal for Kate. Her first reaction has always been, "Oh, there's a fire out there. It's probably just a landscape fire. I’m gonna go on my way."

This time won't be any different, right? The Hurst Fire is 10 miles away and there is a mountain range between it and their house. Also, the wind isn't blowing in their direction. There are other fires, the Eaton Fire near Altadena and the Palisades Fire just 20 miles west of downtown LA, but these are even farther away.

Then, things slowly start to sink in. Wait a second. Our friends live over there. Are they… okay?

“Ping!”

It is a post from Facebook. She checks it; her family checks it. Oh, wait. That family. They’re over there too?

That family in particular, living near Eaton Canyon, somehow missed the evacuation alert and just made it out in their pajamas after grabbing their phones, dog, and kids. They tell how they called the homeowner later that day. “Everything’s gone," he had said. They went back to the house, and in disbelief, took pictures of the heap of smoldering rubble—all that is left of their beautiful, white-washed house.

What about my other friends?  Kate begins texting people she knows in California asking, "Are you okay?" Her phone constantly pings with texts from friends asking her the same thing.

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The long day is about to end, and it is almost time for her dad, the Glendale city fire inspector, to return from work.

5:30 PM then 6:00 PM comes and goes, with no familiar hum of his car pulling into the driveway.

“Brrrrrrrrring, brrrrrrrrring,” the phone rang. It's him! He tells them he has been placed in charge of evacuation assistance and dispatch calls for the surrounding area and that he will probably buy a cot and spend the night at the station.

Kate is worried. She thinks back to the day in high school when she spotted a fire across the street from her school. Many other students saw it too and waited for an evacuation announcement.  

None came.  

Worried, they began asking if they could go home. Eventually, they were permitted to evacuate. For most of that day, Kate and her family stayed on the other side of the town until the fire was no longer a threat.  

This time, even though Kate can't see the fire, it is spreading fast, and she worries that she might soon.  

“Should we pack anything for evacuation?” she asks her mom. 

“If you want, we can,” her mom replies. “What are the top five things you’d like to pack?” 

Kate begins listing off items, with medical supplies near the top. 

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But at 8:30 PM, her dad comes home.

The next day he goes out again and her brother goes to school. Everything is back to normal, except for the smell of smoke, the thick haze in the air, and the white billowing clouds from the Hurst Fire only ten miles away.

Four days later, Kate goes back to Patrick Henry College to begin her last semester of school.

Even though she is distant from the fires, she still thinks about them. The fires remind her of how everyone is imperfect. The curse of sin is here, and it becomes so obvious when fires come through and destroy life.

In times like this, mankind's need is so apparent for the one who heals broken spirits and forgives sins: Jesus.

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So, we pray for comfort to those Californians who are confused about what and who to believe and for those who have lost their homes and every earthly possession. We pray that they will build up treasures of heaven that neither moth nor rust can destroy—treasures only found through Christ.

Patrick Henry College challenges the unacceptable status quo in higher education by combining the academic strength and commitment to biblical principles that elite institutions have lost; a commitment to high academic rigor, fidelity to the spirit of the American founding, and an unwavering biblical worldview.