It has been an unprecedented and devastating week of news out of the Los Angeles area.
As of this morning, Monday, January 13th the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area have consumed over 40,000 acres of land, forcing 150,000 individuals to evacuate and taking the lives of at least 24 others. Spread into multiple blazes around LA—including the Hurst Fire north of San Fernando, the Eaton Fire just north of Pasadena, and the Palisades Fire just west of Santa Monica—The Washington Post reports there is risk of the fires spreading in the coming days due to continued strong winds.
Los Angeles is home to one of the greatest coffee scenes, not just in America but the entire world. And while the coffee quality in LA is one of its main draws, it is the human element, the people comprising the community that power the scene, and they are the ones put in harm’s way by the wildfires. Even so, the coffee shop is often the neighborhood rallying point. Cafes will stay open where other businesses have closed, they’ll offer drinks and food items, they’ll serve as donation centers.
It is an ever-evolving situation, with evacuation orders and containment levels and other unforeseen elements. We spoke with coffee professionals from around the Los Angeles area to get firsthand accounts of what they are experiencing as well as learn ways folks can help in the recovery efforts.
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“I was last in our shop on Wednesday. When I got out of my car, the whole city had the smell you get when you stand over a large bbq that’s burning lots of meat to a crisp,” Demitasse founder Bobby Roshan tell Sprudge. “It was hard to breathe.” The Santa Monica cafe falls into Evacuation Warning zone, and though they tried to stay open to serve the public, Roshan ultimately opted to close the cafe and roastery. “We felt it would be irresponsible to put staff in harm’s way to say nothing of breathing in toxic air.”
The sentiment is shared through much of the Los Angeles area. “Even where my place is in Venice, while far enough from the flames at the moment, air quality has been horrendous,” Nicely Abel of Hooked states. “Ash is falling from the sky.” Meanwhile further inland, Dayglow’s three central LA cafes have avoided any damages thus far but are still dealing with the fallout. “It’s been unsafe to be outside with c02 levels and raining ash permeating into the cafes. At times it’s felt apocalyptic,” founder Thom Ifergan says. Though not in an evacuation zone, Dayglow nonetheless has been forced to shutter temporarily, to allow staff to evacuate where needed or to simply not be put in the position to breathe hazardous air.
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Still, some cafes are enough out of harm’s way that they are able to stay open and are offering aid in whatever ways they can. Cafes like Amai in Santa Monica, Wolf’s Brew Coffee in Long Beach, Wish You Were Here in Pomona, and Maru‘s locations in and around Beverly Hills, Los Feliz, and the Arts District are all offering free coffee and food items to first responders. “It’s really crazy here and frankly [I’m] not sure what to make of all of this,” the folks at Maru tell Sprudge. “It’s amazing to see the city coming together so fast to provide support. On the other hand, it is devastating seeing people lose their homes. These are our friends and colleagues.”
Others in the industry are finding different ways to help. Canyon Coffee in Echo Park has set up a donation drop-off for items like blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, and chargers, and they have set up a relief fund—with a $10,000 donation match from an anonymous donor—to go to the California Community Fund. Similarly, Civil Coffee is using their locations around LA as donation drop-offs for essentials like toiletries, diapers, bottled water, etc. as well as donating 10% of gross sales from cafe locations to various relief efforts.
Oat milk manufacture Ghost Town Oats and co-founder Michelle Johnson are using their Instagram platform as a collation point to share resources for those affected by the fires. “A good coffee friend in Asheville, NC who experienced Hurricane Helene and the continuing recovery from that warned me yesterday about there being a phase of disinformation spreading during massive disasters like this,” Jaymie Lao, coach of USBC Champion Frank La states. “Finding veritable information has been a challenge, and the most trustworthy news outlets for me for how the fires have been moving or contained has been primarily NPR, the Watch Duty app, and sadly looking out my window.”
Lao continues, “I don’t know when the fires will be fully contained but it’s clear that relief will be ongoing for much of 2025. I think if there’s anything folks can do to help it’s to give financial donation to mutual aids or if you can’t give financially, volunteering to help these relief centers.”
For those outside the Los Angeles area looking to help, some of the suggested donation point mentioned by cafes include the California Community Fund, the Wildfire Recovery Fund, and the Eaton Canyon Relief Fund. Other institutions vetted by NBC News include: 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. If you are able, consider donating.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
