Rapidly spreading fires near Pasadena, California have left more than 200 NASA employees at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) homeless after the Eaton Fire swept through their neighborhoods. The blaze, fueled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, has displaced over 1,000 employees, including many who work on critical space exploration projects.
Marcy Harbut, a senior technical writer for NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech, witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of California wildfires on her family’s home. She and her husband fled their Altadena home with their daughter after power cut out, leaving behind only the chimney standing amidst the ruins.
Meanwhile, chief scientist Jessie Christiansen was forced to evacuate her Sierra Madre home due to evacuation orders, leaving behind a note for her 9-year-old daughter and pets. Her family’s house survived the fire but requires extensive cleanup from ash and wind damage.
Both Harbut and Christiansen acknowledged that their work on space exploration projects puts their lives into perspective. “It’s not life or death,” said Christiansen, who temporarily relocated NASA’s Deep Space Network operations due to the fire. However, they also emphasized the importance of remembering that science is not the only aspect of human existence.
As the community rallies around the affected employees, including Caltech’s new emergency fund that has raised over $2 million, Harbut and others are finding solace in support from friends, family, and strangers.
Source: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/los-angeles-wildfires-nasa-jpl-caltech-eaton-fire