Students host other Bruins in hometowns during Southern California fires

Students stand in Daphnie Tseng’s house in San Diego, where the second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student hosted six of her friends during the Los Angeles County wildfires. (Courtesy of Daphnie Tseng)
This post was updated Jan. 15 at 12:13 a.m.
For most UCLA students with family in San Diego, going home for the weekend is not an unusual occurrence.
But when second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student Daphnie Tseng came home this weekend, she brought six of her friends. As unprecedented wildfires began in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7, Tseng chose to leave campus, taking with her students who were from outside Southern California.
UC Residential Life estimated that over 5,000 students voluntarily left their dorms last Wednesday alone, according to a written statement from Undergraduate Students Association Council President Adam Tfayli.
Tfayli now estimates over 90% of students have left campus, he said in a written statement Monday.

As of 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, there are no evacuation warnings or orders in place for the UCLA campus. The exodus, however, continued throughout the week and resulted in impromptu stays with friends for many students without family in or around LA.
[Related: ‘Everything is just gone’: Bruins grapple with homes lost in LA wildfires]
Second-year theater student Heath Grossman, who is originally from Chicago, said he first considered leaving campus when he saw the gray sky, orange sun and flames on the horizon while walking on campus.
“This is my first-ever wildfire experience,” he said. “All that stuff was just awful – we could tell that it isn’t really getting better.”
Grossman said he eventually made the decision Wednesday to stay with a friend’s family in Rancho Palos Verdes. He added that together, they were researching fire behavior and terminology in order to better understand the situation.
Other local students also offered places to stay to friends and roommates – sometimes hosting groups of five or six.
Tseng said many of the six friends she hosted at her parents’ San Diego home were out-of-state or international students and had limited options once they decided to evacuate.
While some of her friends initially wanted to stay on campus for classes, Tseng said, they left together Thursday because of concerns about the fire’s rapid growth and worsening air quality. Tseng added that her friends saw ash falling on campus and were able to smell smoke indoors – with some of them even wearing masks to sleep.

“We all thought it would be safest if we went together,” Tseng said. “We all packed up really fast, to the point where one of our friends, he forgot his passport.”
Some UCLA students received an evacuation warning on their phones Thursday. However, that warning was sent in error, a UCPD spokesperson said.
[Related: False evacuation warning sent out across Los Angeles County]
Emmett Wechsler, a first-year physics student, said he also hosted five friends who were from Northern California or out-of-state at his family’s home in Long Beach. He and his friends left campus Wednesday night following similar concerns about the fire’s spread and the poor air quality.
“I have asthma, so I felt a little bit unsafe,” he added.
Victoria Lopez, a first-year civil engineering student, said she left the dorms with her roommate Wednesday night following air quality concerns. However, Lopez said their decision to leave was expedited by the reactions of their friends and neighbors.
“All kinds of people from all different backgrounds and all different locations are being freaked out,” Lopez added. “So then I started being freaked out.”
The pair is currently staying at the Lopez family home – approximately 40 minutes south of campus in Harbor City. While they plan to return in the upcoming week, Lopez said she actually enjoyed sitting with her roommate at the kitchen table and attending virtual classes together.
Wechsler said one experience he enjoyed while hosting guests was being able to show his friends his hometown, an opportunity Tseng also took.
“I was able to show them where I went to school or places I used to go to growing up,” Tseng said. “Especially since we all see each other only at school, but not really outside of that, it’s been definitely a fun experience.”

Wechsler said while he made sure his friends knew they could stay as long as they wanted or needed, his guests decided to fly home to Northern California when instruction until Friday was made fully remote.
[Related: UCLA extends remote instruction through Friday as evacuation zones near campus]
Grossman said he also left his friend’s place after being notified that classes would be held remotely. While he was grateful for his friend’s help, he worried about overstaying his welcome, he said.
“I wasn’t necessarily a burden on the family, but it disrupts their daily life,” Grossman added. “I’m grateful that I’m in a position that I can go somewhere else. I found a very cheap ticket to Chicago, and took it, and then I went home.”
Tseng said her out-of-state and international friends have had to make different plans – some left to stay with family members living in other states, while others are searching for other temporary housing.
“I plan to come back to UCLA as soon as possible,” Grossman said. “I love it there – I love everything about living in LA as a college student.”
Tseng said she too wants to be back in class as soon as possible. However, she added that she has also been running into many UCLA students staying in San Diego for the time being and is glad that students are figuring out plans collectively.
“I feel like everybody’s been able to help each other out,” Wechsler said. “Some of my friends from home were able to bring their own friends home. I know other people who are coming together, and just Bruins helping other Bruins.”
Contributing reports by Amanda Velasco and Shiv Patel, Daily Bruin staff.