SALT LAKE CITY — Southern California has been dealing with deadly wildfires this week. 11 people have died so far.
The largest active fire, the Palisades Fire, is 8-percent contained. Firefighters are working tirelessly to get it under control.
More than 100,000 people are under an evacuation order, while thousands of others are returning back home to find their houses destroyed.
Danielle Friberg has been watching the devastation.
"This is where I walked my dog, this is where I brought my newborn son home to, this is our community," she said. "We still feel really attached to that community."
She grew up in Utah and lives in Millcreek now, but for a couple years, her family lived n the border of Pasadena and Altadena, in southern California.
"It’s more than I feel like I can really comprehend. I felt a little bit numb the last couple of days," she said.
Close friends to Friberg’s family live a couple streets away from where she used to live. Nick and Holly Homeyer evacuated their home, with their two little boys.
When they came to check on their home the next day; "the home was actively on fire, the roof was already caved in,” said Friberg.
Their family like hundreds of other families, is left with nothing. So Friberg stepped in to help, with a simple social media post asking for clothing donations to help the family get back on their feet.
And people have answered her call. "Theres some shoes in here too. Just incredible people's generosity,” said Friberg, as she emptied bags full of stuff on to the table.
There is a GoFundMe for their family as well.
"Hopefully they'll be able to use the GoFundMe funds for things like replacing mattresses, and towels and plates and all the basics that we find comfort in,” added Friberg.
But the help doesn't stop with Friberg — over 60 firefighters from about 17 state fire agencies traveled from Utah to California to help deal with the blaze and make a difference.
"The crews that are here, we are ready to go, we want to get moving,” said Kelly Bird with Unified Fire Authority. “We have had the opportunity be a little bit out in the public and the people here in California, like most places, have been very kind, very generous, very appreciative of us being here. We're doing our best to keep their spirits up and trying to let them have a little bit of hope that things are going to turn around."
After meeting with crews on the ground, they were assigned to help with the Palisades fire. Friberg hopes as more people need help, others are ready to be there for them.
"I think it’s just a reminder that at the end of the day, we're all human and our hearts beat for other people and when we see people struggling, we step up," she said.
