As parts of Los Angeles began to burn, IU Media School students participating in the Semester in Los Angeles program had just arrived in California to begin their internships in various areas of the entertainment industry.
The interns are safe from the fires and their housing in West Hollywood was unaffected. Their internships have begun with just a few delays.
IU junior Emma Gladstone is interning for a public relations consulting firm and for Hollywood Insider as a journalism major.
Gladstone said the cohort of interns this semester arrived in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, the same day that the fires began. Before going to California, Gladstone was aware that wildfires weren’t uncommon for the state, but said she didn’t realize how impactful they could be.
According to NBC, the fires, which have burned almost 40,000 acres in Southern California, do not yet have an official cause, but are believed to be the result of “drought-like conditions” and strong winds, creating an increased fire risk.
At least 25 people have died, and many have been left homeless.
Due to the poor air quality, Gladstone hasn’t seen much of the city she will live in for the next four months.
Gladstone and her peers watched as more fires popped up around West Hollywood before deciding it was time to evacuate to San Diego.
“At one point during the night, I checked outside where I was staying, and I saw the fire itself, the flames of it,” Gladstone said. “And so that’s when we decided to evacuate.”
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Eaton and Palisades fires are among the top five most destructive in California's history.
“There was a lot of bumper-to-bumper traffic, of people trying to leave, and that part was scary,” Gladstone said.
Now, she said, the area she is staying in isn’t in a state of panic and emergency anymore, as the fires have burnt elsewhere.
Media School Career Services Specialist Jill Romack is assisting with the Semester in LA program and told the Indiana Daily Student in an email that IU staff and safety officials will continue to watch the situation closely to ensure the students’ safety. Romack said the program’s housing, office and classroom spaces in Hollywood are unaffected by the fire damage.
“I’m proud of our students for the flexibility and responsibility they’ve shown over the last week,” Romack said.
IU Public Safety Public Information Officer Hannah Skibba told the IDS in an email that the students were given emergency kits and N95 masks to help protect themselves from the harmful air quality caused by smoke.
In stores around Los Angeles, Gladstone said, the “number-one questions” people ask are to check on each other, making sure that they are okay, have family nearby and have somewhere to stay.
For her internship at Hollywood Insider, Gladstone is writing a story about the influencers and celebrities in Los Angeles who are volunteering and helping people recover from the damage. She said she and other interns plan to volunteer and help as parts of the city rebuild.
“Having (the fires) be the first thing that you see is definitely scary, but I think everyone's adjusting really well, and I think everyone's starting to get excited about the program,” Gladstone said.
