LA Wildfire Response: Franklin Graham

In the wake of deadly wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles County, Samaritan’s Purse is helping people recover their personal property in Jesus’ Name. Our President Franklin Graham was in California last week and talked with Kristy Graham about visiting homeowners in their darkest hour and sharing the light of Christ. As our volunteers helped a woman search through the ashes where her home once stood, they found a figurine that her grandmother had brought from Cuba decades ago.

“She said, ‘Having everybody here is helping us to have closure. And finally, this figurine has brought closure.’”—Franklin Graham

Franklin met firefighters from Fire Station 69, who fearlessly battled the blazes. Many of these first responders described the fire station as their second home, since they live there and work long hours, fighting to protect the surrounding communities. During the wildfires, the water at the station became contaminated, which prohibited them from showering or doing dishes. Samaritan’s Purse provided Fire Station 69 with access to clean water by setting up a reverse osmosis machine on site.

One of our podcast correspondents, Gabbi, was on the ground in California last week and visited Fire Station 69. She talked to Jeff Brown, who is the fire captain and has served with the LA Fire Department for more than 36 years. Captain Brown described what it was like when the wildfires began.

“We get fires, we get brush fires, but this turned into something way bigger than that. This was like a hurricane of fire.”—Captain Jeff Brown

A homeowner named Adam also shared how he and his wife saw the flames climb up a hillside. Due to the incredibly strong winds, the fire made its way toward their residential area. After they evacuated, Adam remembers watching the news and seeing the helicopter zoom in on his neighborhood. He could plainly see his street and pick out their house—it was fully engulfed in flames.

Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief volunteer teams have helped Adam and his wife begin searching through the debris where their home used to stand, looking for sentimental items that could be salvaged. Adam shared what this type of help has meant to him in an overwhelming time.

“It's not the thing itself. It's more the representation of a time and a place and a feeling. Something that our family members have given us, a memory that we shared together. So, it's not so much the objects that you're helping me find. It's the memories that I'll be able to relive and give to [my wife]. And I hope that brings us some peace.”—Adam Blasey

But Adam also found another kind of peace in the wake of the wildfires. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior with the help of Miguel, one of our U.S. Disaster Relief site leaders. This is just one example of how God is still in the business of making beauty out of ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

“And then I said, ‘Christ died for you, and He died for me. And he shed blood for us, for our sins. Do you believe that?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I do.’ I said, ‘Well, let's pray. And then he accepted Christ.”—Miguel Garcia

Please pray for Adam, his wife, and the countless other homeowners in Los Angeles who have suffered. Pray also for Samaritan’s Purse volunteers and staff as they love and serve homeowners. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit samaritanspurse.org.