Dry conditions and high winds have spun wildfires out of control in California. Since Jan. 7, 31 wildfires have broken out across the Southwest area of the state. The largest and most destructive being the Palisades and Eaton fires. These fires both rank within the top 16 deadliest wildfires in the state of California, according to wdsu.com.

As of Feb. 10, over 57 thousand acres of land have burned due to the wildfires. Within the affected area, at least 29 people have died, over 16 thousand buildings have been destroyed, more than 190,000 people were or are under evacuation notices, and over two dozen people are missing, according to fire.ca.gov.

These wildfires have continued to spread, grow and multiply due to very high winds and drought-like conditions that caused the vegetation in California to dry up over the past few months. This has created the perfect storm of conditions ripe for wildfires.

“The [Santa Ana] winds that were blowing that week were clocked at 100 mph at times, which made the fire across the dry brush move very quickly,” 30-year Los Angeles resident Jeffrey Stewart said. “It was like a hurricane without the water. The winds also carried embers for long distances, and drove the fires very quickly through densely populated areas.”

For some, these fires have been devastating. The destruction caused by the wildfires has caused some to lose irreplaceable items and possessions.

“I personally know three families who have lost their homes and all of their possessions, one in Pacific Palisades and two in Altadena,” Stewart said. “There are whole neighborhoods near the fires that were evacuated, and some people have not been allowed to return to their homes yet. To top it off, some people who were allowed to return to their homes to check on them or get more possessions out, discovered that their homes were broken into and looted by thieves.”

For many families, some of the fires spread so fast; they had maybe all but five minutes to evacuate their homes and gather all the possessions they could take with them.

“To get a sense of what they went through, try this exercise: set a timer for 5 minutes—I’ll even give you 10 minutes to prove a point,” Stewart said. “That’s how much time you have to go through your entire house and gather everything you want or need to carry. Whatever you don’t get will be lost forever. What would you take? What and where are your valuables? Not just material possessions, but passports, important papers, computers, back-up drives, cash. How much clothing did you grab? Where are your pets? Where are your other family members if they aren’t at home? Do you have to spend some of your time gathering things for them? Remember, you’re about to lose everything you own. All of these decisions have to be made quickly in a life-or-death situation. The families who lost their homes only have what they were able to grab in a very short amount of time. The items in your home are collected over a lifetime, and while some things are replaceable, some are not.”

But in this time of sadness and loss, many people in the Los Angeles area and all throughout North America have come together to help those affected.

“The outpouring of support and direct aid has been mind-boggling,” Stewart said. “People are donating money, food, water, services, clothing, everything. Donation centers have popped up in many communities with hundreds of volunteers gathering to help the people who have been displaced. People were sending out information about which fire stations needed water, Gatorade, protein bars, etc. for first responders. Firefighters and fire fighting equipment came from all over California, Oregon, Canada and Mexico. Canada even sent airplanes that can scoop water out of the ocean and drop it on the fires.”

If you or someone you know would like to help those affected by the wildfires in California the California Community Foundation, California Fire Foundation, L.A. Fire Department Foundation, Pasadena Humane Society, Ventura County Community Foundation, American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen are all verified and trustworthy organizations to give to if you are looking to donate.