On Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, the entire Poly school, as well as some family members, gathered on Babcock Field for a short assembly marking the one-year anniversary of the Eaton and Palisades Fires.
Exactly one year earlier, the Palisades Fire started at 10:30 a.m., with the Eaton Fire following at around 6:18 p.m., both spreading quickly and destructively due to extremely dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds, ravaging the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Topanga Canyon, Altadena and Pasadena. According to KTLA News, the Eaton fire killed 19 people, destroyed more than 10,000 structures, displaced more than 50,000 people and created a huge need for supplies and support.
Numerous students, faculty and staff were directly affected by the fires, experiencing evacuations, property damage or housing instability.
“There was a real push to do something right away,” added Renée Larios, Poly’s Student Community Engagement Coordinator. “Within a day, the gym turned into a donation center.”
The Poly Relief Fund, which raised $1,187,243 from hundreds of donations, provided essential financial help to victims with immediate financial needs. Students and families also rose to the occasion, working together to support their peers and community.
“I volunteered with my church to help the community: giving food, water, clothes and baby food,” junior Sabreen El-Amin shared. “It was really meaningful to see all of my community come together to help those who were in need.”
Larios said, “We reached out with emails and texts and phone calls to as many Poly students as we could to see how are you doing? We’re thinking of you. We just got an emotion. We wanted to be there emotionally.”
The passage of time does not always mean recovery, and losses continue to affect lives long after the fires ended.
“There’s still a lot of uncertainty in my life,” shared junior Jujube Hutt, a news editor for The Paw Print who lost her house in the Eaton Fire. “I’m grateful to have a good place to stay for now, but I am constantly reminded by the fact that it’s temporary. I don’t know when I’m moving out or when we’ll rebuild — everything’s up in the air.”
Some victims are only now beginning the insurance inventory process, forcing them to relive the devastation and grief brought by the fires. Some remain in temporary housing, unsure of when, or if, they will be able to return home.
During Poly’s commemoration event, Head of School John Bracker spoke about the ongoing struggles of the fire victims and urged Poly’s community to continue exhibiting the same level of empathy to friends and neighbors that they had during the fires. Following a moment of silence, seniors Anastasia Arrieta and Madeleine Delbridge sang an a cappella rendition of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers, underscoring the importance of community support and empathy in processing the emotional weight of the anniversary.
Later that day, community members dedicated a commemorative plaque on Arden Lawn to victims of the fires and those who supported them. Pasadena Councilmember Jason Lyon P ’23, ’32; newly elected Altadena Town Council member Anton Anderson ’85 P ’34, ’38; K–12 Parent Organization (PO) Chair Laura Unanue P ’20, ’23, ’25, ’32; and Bracker gathered for the event, which also marked the planting of an oak tree in honor of the anniversary.
Now, a year later, the fires no longer dominate headlines, but their effects remain deeply embedded in the community that lived through them.
“The assembly was really touching, knowing that people are still thinking about what happened,” added Hutt. “There was such an explosion of care and support a year ago, and it makes me so happy to see that it hasn’t faded away.”
