https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/01/09/los-angeles-fires-damage-aid-how-to-help/

How to help L.A. wildfire victims, and what to do if you need aid

Here are ways to assist both people and animals in need in the wake of the destruction caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Yesterday at 4:14 p.m. EST

By Jonathan Edwards

With wildfires rushing toward them, tens of thousands of Los Angeles-area residents fled their homes this week. Some have already returned to find nothing but ash where they once lived. In the coming days, many more will discover that their homes and belongings have been destroyed.

Aid organizations and government agencies have stepped into the breach to keep evacuees safe, compensate victims and arm firefighters trying to tame the wildfires ravaging the city. To do so, those organizations are opening shelters, providing equipment, deploying volunteers and pumping money into the affected areas.

They’re asking for help. Here’s how you can contribute:

Helping humans

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Many aid organizations are providing relief in the Los Angeles area. Here are a few that are accepting donations:

• The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the city’s fire department, is asking for donations so it can buy and give firefighters emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks and wildland brush tools needed to stymie wildfires. You can donate here.
• World Central Kitchen is giving sandwiches, fruit and water to “all areas of immediate need.” Several of its partner chefs are “on standby, ready to provide comforting meals.” You can donate here.
• The American Red Cross is providing shelter, food, relief supplies and medical care. You can find more information here and donate here.
• GoFundMe has verified and consolidated dozens of fundraisers that victims have started in recent days.
• The Salvation Army is working with government agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide food, personal necessities and shelter to victims and first responders, including firefighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies. You can donate here.

Helping animals

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• Animal Wellness Foundation is using its old vet hospital to shelter animals donated by owners who evacuated but couldn’t take their pets with them. They’re asking for donations so they can house and feed them. You can donate here.
• Pasadena Humane said on Wednesday night that it had taken in more than 300 animals, some with burns and other fire-related injuries. The shelter is asking people to give money so staff can treat them with medication, fluids and oxygen. You can donate here.
• Best Friends Animal Society, a Utah-based animal shelter, said Wednesday that a fire was “dangerously close” to its adoption center in L.A. The organization is asking Los Angeles-area residents to serve as temporary foster families and to buy the adoption center items from its Amazon wish list.

Be careful where you donate during and after a disaster. You can verify a charity’s legitimacy on Charity Navigator.

Wildfires in Los Angeles

The latest: At least seven people have died as intensely powerful winds fan the flames of multiple wildfires around Los Angeles. The Palisades Fire has destroyed 5,300 buildings and forced more than 30,000 evacuations on the west side of Los Angeles County. Among the multiple fires are the Eaton Fire, the Hurst Fire, the Kenneth Fire and the Lidia Fire. Follow live updates on the wildfires and track their spread in maps.

What we know about the fires: The direct cause of the fires hasn’t been determined, but a combination of dry conditions and powerful, hurricane-force winds is propelling their spread. The extreme behavior of the fires so far has made control nearly impossible. See photos and videos of the fires in California.

Life in Los Angeles: The fires erupted quickly, in a way residents knew was possible but many were unprepared for. Families of notable sports figures were among those evacuating, and the flames forced cancellations of Hollywood events while some celebrities’ homes burned down.