The holidays are always a tough time for us at PSN. We have two issues in January, which usually means this issue gets finished and sent to the printer just after New Year’s. This year, though, has been especially rough.

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before, but the PSN staff are all based out of Los Angeles. On the morning of Jan. 7, as we were working on this very issue, a wildfire erupted in Pacific Palisades, just 6 miles north of where I live in Santa Monica. Weather reports from the night before had warned of dangerously windy conditions, but I didn’t think much of it.

I first became aware of the Palisades fire around noon. I was concerned but went back to work. But by 3 p.m., my local friends were blowing up my phone with notifications about the possibility of evacuation orders and whether we should be packing go bags. In just a few hours, the fire had engulfed more than 1,200 acres.

From then on, we were glued to the news. I watched in disbelief as the inferno grew. By 5:49 p.m. I could see the flames from my balcony. It was terrifying.

Joanne McClain

Shortly after that, the Eaton fire began to the east of L.A. and quickly spread destruction throughout the foothills neighborhood of Altadena. My colleague, Gary Carr, lives in nearby Pasadena. He had texted me earlier that he had taken in friends escaping from the Palisades fire, only to face possible evacuation from Eaton.

As the week progressed, Los Angeles at one point faced seven different wildfires. I watched the news in horror as a chopper caught the start of the Sunset fire in real time near the Hollywood Hills. Within 15 minutes, it had spread to nearly 50 acres, endangering nearby homes. The rate in which the fire spread was shocking. I called friends in the area to make sure they were aware of the danger so they could escape at a moment’s notice.

Meanwhile, the Palisades fire raged on, consuming tens of thousands of acres, and wiping out entire neighborhoods. I waited anxiously for evacuation orders. Schools were closed, boil-water orders were announced, and a mandatory curfew was put in place. Smoke filled the air and ashes drifted down like snow on my street. It was like living in a war zone.

As of this moment, on the evening of Jan. 12, the fires are cautiously considered under control, thank God. Barring another incident, the real work of rebuilding can begin.

Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes and/or livelihoods, including, I’m sure, some of our own. To those people, I am so very sorry this happened to you, and we at PSN stand behind you as we move forward into recovery efforts from this unimaginable disaster. I’m confident that the strong, caring and compassionate members of our industry will play an integral role in the complex rebuilding process.