Seeds are special for Nina Raj, a docent at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and the founder of the Altadena Seed Library in Southern California. So when Raj and her partner fled from the Eaton Fire on January 7, her first thought wasn’t to pack clothes or important paperwork. Instead, she grabbed Matilija poppy, California buckeye, sage, and buckwheat seeds from her greenhouse — part of a seed bank she’d started to gather alongside a team of volunteers.
Raj’s home didn’t burn down, though it was contaminated with ash and smoke. But the rest of Altadena, known as a thriving hub for multigenerational Black and Latino families, wasn’t as lucky. The Eaton Fire burned at least 9,400 structures and killed 17 people there; up the coast, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed 12. Both blazes were fueled by bone-dry conditions and hurricane-force winds. Climate change helped set the stage for the extra-dry fuels and nonexistent rainfall: A study published last month found that such hot and dry conditions are about 35 percent more likely du... Read more
