Climate expert flees wildfire fuelled by the crisis she works to combat

Sarah Lejeune has called Los Angeles home for over three decades, with the last 11 years spent living in the “wildfire zone” that includes Topanga Canyon. When the order came to evacuate her home due to fast-moving fires burning in the nearby Pacific Palisades, Lejeune knew the drill – but also understood the gravity of the situation.

Without hesitation, she consulted neighbours and friends, packed her pets, and carefully gathered family photograph albums. Along with a few essentials, she and her animals – a cat named Mochi and a dog named Ziggy – set out in two vehicles for her cousin’s home in the San Fernando Valley. As they drove away, the fire’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean was chillingly evident, and the air, choked with thick smoke, made breathing difficult.

There was nothing natural about the smell Lejeune recalls, describing it as like the stench of countless cigarettes.

The Pacific Palisades wildfire is one of many that have ravaged the region in recent years. In December, nearby Malibu faced significant devastation. However, Lejeune, a 65-year-old consultant, says the speed of this particular blaze was unprecedented in her experience.

Lejeune is among 70,000 people ordered to evacuate as wildfires, driven by powerful winds, scorched over 5,000 acres of land in Pacific Palisades. Reports indicate that winds in the area reached up to 100 mph, exacerbating the fires’ rapid spread. Two deaths were reported in the nearby Eaton Fire, which has consumed over 2,000 acres in Altadena. Another blaze, the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley, has burned 500 acres with no containment in sight.

Although her own property remains unharmed, Lejeune’s sense of loss is palpable. From her relative’s home, she watched as flames consumed Palisades Charter High School, where her daughter once attended. “It’s really, really sad,” she says. “It’s more about our friends who live there, the people she went to high school with, and the other parents on the track team. I’m sure they’ve lost their houses.”

As a consultant specialising in helping cities adapt to climate change, Lejeune sees a clear connection between the intensifying wildfires and the broader climate crisis. “The plants are drying up, fires are increasing in speed, and the winds are stronger,” she explains. “My job is to stay on top of how the climate is changing and how cities need to adapt. I’m not a climate denier.”

Over the years, she has observed a marked shift in the region’s environment. “In the 11 years I’ve lived in the canyon, it’s very obvious. And in the 30 years I’ve been in Los Angeles, it’s apparent to anyone who’s been paying attention.”

As Lejeune waits for updates from her cousin’s home, she reflects on the increasing need for community resilience and preparedness in the face of natural disasters. Her story is a reminder of the human cost of climate change and the urgent need for action to mitigate its effects. For Lejeune and many others, the wildfires are more than a natural disaster; they are a call to adapt and prepare for an uncertain future.