As Southern California Fires Rage, Convoy of Hope, Churches Respond

Originally fueled by winds that reached 80 to 100 mph, five significant fires continue to rampage, mostly unchecked, through the greater Los Angeles area. At least 10 people have died, hundreds of thousands have evacuated, thousands of structures have been destroyed or damaged, tens of thousands (some estimates are much higher) are without power, and according to Cal Fire, the two largest fires (Palisades 19,978 acres and Eaton 13,690 acres) are almost totally uncontained.

Into this scene of chaos, fear, loss, and ever-changing challenges, Convoy of Hope has already sent truckloads of water, food, and hygiene supplies.

“We’re sending the things people need whenever they have to evacuate very quickly or have had their power shut off,” says Ethan Forhetz, national spokesperson for Convoy of Hope. “Since we learned about the fires, Convoy has been working feverishly to get supplies to where people are.”

However, with the combination of multiple fires, the tendency for fires to shift and jump, and the fires being driven by strong winds, it has been a challenge for Convoy personnel to determine where people are evacuating to and safe places to establish distribution hubs.

“So far, we have secured distribution sites at an elementary school in Pasadena and at the Los Angeles Dream Center,” Forhetz says. “We’ve also been in contact with the AG Southern California (SoCal) Network office and several AG churches in the area have offered facilities to establish a distribution hub, which we are considering.”

According to Rich Guerra, superintendent of the SoCal Network, so far no AG churches have been damaged due to the fires. He has also learned that the Dream Center has opened its doors to those who have lost their homes in any of the fires as temporary housing.

The Dream Center was co-founded by Matthew Barnett with his father Tommy, a former AG executive presbyter and longtime AG minister. In 2017, Matthew ran seven marathons in seven days on seven different continents to raise funds to help renovate portions of the former hospital — helping make the offer for housing possible today.

Guerra explains that the Santa Ana winds are something experienced every year in California, but the winds this year have been far more powerful — normally around 40 mph, but this year 80 to 100 mph. This also makes accurately dropping water from planes and helicopters onto fires far more difficult.

“One of the things that people may not know is that large fires can cause their own weather patterns,” Guerra says. “They’ve had to stop water dropping from planes at times as the fires have caused so much turbulence.”

Forhetz and Guerra agree that currently the situation in Southern California is nothing short of chaotic. Although Guerra says the winds have died down considerably in the greater Los Angeles area, powerful winds, which increase the fire risk, are expected to impact other areas of Southern California, including Orange County, where the SoCal AG Network offices and multiple AG churches are also located.

“Right now, we’re doing our best to figure out the scope of the need, where people are, and how to get supplies to those people in need,” Forhetz says. “And with our new regional warehouse that opened in 2023 in Sacramento, we’ll be able to get those supplies to people in need in that region more quickly than ever before.”

“We are heartbroken for those who have lost loved ones, their homes, or their businesses in these fires,” Guerra says. “But I’m also confident that we’ll soon be hearing stories about how our churches and compassion organizations such as Convoy of Hope and CityServe have stepped up to meet the needs and impact the lives of many hurting people.”