Safety precautions: Jia has moved to a safe house, while Muhammad Danish has prepared essentials in case of emergency evacuation.
PETALING JAYA: With the Palisades Fire still raging through Los Angeles in the United States, Malaysian students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are not leaving anything to chance.
Muhammad Danish Azarisman, a freshman at UCLA, has prepared essentials and ensures that all his devices are fully charged at all times in case of a worst-case scenario.
“I am concerned about the fire because the harsh wind may return to spread it again. I am anxious that I may have to eventually evacuate and leave most of my belongings behind.
“My sponsors and parents have been checking up on me with constant reminders as well as advice,” the 21-year-old told The Star.
Muhammad Danish, who is pursuing a degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology, added that physical classes had also been cancelled and are being held remotely for now.
He said the area had been snowing ashes and embers for the past few days. Initially, he was able to see the smoke from his dorm windows.
The Palisades Fire is located about 8km from the UCLA campus.
Asked how he will cope if he loses all of his belongings, Muhammad Danish, who is from Ipoh, said there is nothing much a person can do given the predicament.
“As an international student I do have a lot of belongings with sentimental value and they are irreplaceable, but I will have to accept what comes my way.
“I will be heartbroken for sure because I am not from a wealthy family and am here on a scholarship,” he added.
Danger in the distance: Although the Palisades Fire is about 8km away from UCLA, smoke and haze are visible from the campus grounds.
For Jia Shing Wee, who is president of the National Assembly of Malaysian Students in America (Namsa), he is grateful to be away from the wildfires after he was evacuated to one of the Malaysian Consulates at Los Angeles home-based staffers’ residence.
“I was evacuated because I am living off-campus in Brentwood (about 3.2km from UCLA),” said the 24-year-old, who is from Melaka.
“So far, the fire has not spread to the area near my house. Namsa is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the Consulate General in Los Angeles (CGLA) to ensure that an evacuation plan can be implemented if necessary, with consular staff residences identified as temporary shelters,” he said.
Jia added that the UCLA administration had cancelled all undergraduate classes last week while classes for this week have been moved online.
So far, he said no evacuation orders have been issued to UCLA students as the fires are not expected to cross the 405 Freeway that separates the campus from the affected areas.
“While the situation is dire and concerning, I am grateful that the CGLA and Education Malaysia in Los Angeles Offices are consistently ensuring the well-being of Malaysian students abroad.
“I am confident that, if necessary, the consulate and Emla will respond swiftly to implement evacuation plans and provide consular staff residences as safe shelter,” he said.
The wildfires in Los Angeles have been ongoing for about a week, resulting in more than 20 fatalities.
The affected areas cover over 40,000 acres (equivalent to approximately 160sq km, or nearly half the size of Kuala Lumpur).
Among the largest wildfires are the Palisades Fire (23,000 acres) and the Eaton Fire (14,000 acres).
