For the last week, the internet has looked like nothing but shades of red, orange and black.
As of this morning, firefighters had struggled to contain four wind-driven wildfires across the Los Angeles metro that have burned more than 62 square miles and killed at least 25 people since Wednesday. And things aren’t letting up with extreme winds expected to worsen the situation over the next few days.
“Normally, we don’t see a lot of large fire growth this time of year due to the weather and the moisture we receive,” said Arizona Forestry Battalion Chief Richard Jones in a recorded interview provided to InMaricopa. “We haven’t received moisture so these fires are still active, and they can be very volatile, so our ask is the community be aware of the drought and to be extra careful and extra vigilant when it comes to fire around their home or just in general.”
Senita resident Krystle Benally is staying vigilant, but she wanted to do more. The 36-year-old said seeing endless images of the southern California fires while scrolling through her social media feeds has been nothing but stressful.
“You get on your phone, and you scroll and that’s all you see — pictures of people trying to escape their homes. You see animals fleeing,” she told InMaricopa. “It was really stressful and that’s all I kept seeing.”
At first, Benally said she “felt kind of helpless” over an extreme weather event impacting friends, family members and millions of strangers 400 miles away.
“Being in Arizona, it’s hard because it’s [over] there … but then, after a while, I was like, ‘I could help,’” she said.
And help she did
Seeing those endless images spurred Benally to action over the weekend.
“I got the thought to just start messaging and texting everyone to get it started,” she said.
Benally partnered with members of her off-roading group, Maricopa Overlanders, to host a donation drive in which they have started to collect a host of items: new and unused hygiene products, face masks, food, water and animal supplies.
Members of the Maricopa Overlanders pose for a photo outside of Tractor Supply on Shea Way and Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway in this undated photo. [Krystle Benally]And while the group is looking to spread the word now, they will be hosting a dedicated donation event Saturday morning outside the Tractor Supply Co. at 17590 Shea Way. Benally said Maricopans can drop off their donations between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. that day.
After that, several members of the group will transport the donations to a few locations in Los Angeles Jan. 25.
For Benally, watching the community come together for a common cause to help their neighbors has been a touching experience, she said.
“Showing everyone affected by the fires that they’re not forgotten, and they have people that will help and acknowledge their needs,” she said, “and to know we made a difference, is well worth it.”
Donation drop-off locations
[Krystle Benally]Not able to make it to the donation event? Here are a few locations in nearby communities where you can drop off donations through Jan. 23.
Underdog Motorsports — 255 E. Southern Ave., Ste. 7, Mesa
Ed Whitehead’s Tire Pro — 313 N. Maricopa St., Casa Grande
Modern Off-Road and Automotive — 3602 W. Clarendon Ave., Phoenix
Traci Daniel’s residence — 1078 N. Crimm Rd., San Tan Valley
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