Editor’s Note: The wildfires in LA represent an ever-evolving situation. This article was last updated on Jan. 16, 2025. To access the TravelAge West Travel Industry LA Fires Support Tracker, click here.
A number of travel organizations have launched initiatives in recent days to assist those impacted by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, including a Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) support and donation tracking list launched by The Culturist Group — an LA-based travel marketing agency.
Kimberli Samuel, the marketing communications lead for the agency, was forced to evacuate her Pasadena, Calif., home on Jan. 7 due to the Eaton Fire, a wind-fueled blaze that has since burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed 5,718 structures in Altadena and Pasadena, according to a Jan. 16 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection report.
Although the city of Pasadena did clear Samuel’s family to return to their home on Jan. 13, she said it’s still not safe.
“We don't have power; the water's contaminated,” she explained. “Gas is kind of questionable — we're not sure because we share some utilities with homes that were burned, and because [the fire’s] not completely contained. Plus, the wind’s still a threat.”
As of press time, more than 82,000 people remain under evacuation order in Los Angeles County, where the wildfires that started during a Jan. 7 windstorm have since scorched nearly 40,000 acres, damaged or destroyed nearly 12,000 structures and killed at least 25 people.
Kimberli Samuel of The Culturist Group, an LA-based travel marketing agency that has created a support and donation list for residents who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire.
Credit: 2025 Kimberli SamuelAid for Underserved Communities
Although Samuel is grateful her home survived, she said the Eaton Fire “decimated” neighborhoods just blocks away from where her family lives on the border of Pasadena and Altadena.
“Amidst the fire, I was checking social media and seeing so many of my brown brothers and sisters and community members who are saying, ‘Hey, I lost it all,’” said Samuel, who is Black.
One text exchange with a close friend still stands out.
“We were going back and forth saying, ‘Are you safe? Are you safe?’ And then she just says, ‘It's gone,’” Samuel recalled. “Like, it’s all gone. Our school is gone. Our church is gone. Our places that we ate at are gone. The Black businesses that we supported and the brown businesses that we supported are gone. And so, my heart is bleeding.”
Shortly after, Samuel teamed up with Danny Guerrero, founder of the Culturist Group, hoping to help members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community living in Altadena who’ve lost everything.
“You can't talk about Altadena without talking about the diversity of Altadena,” Samuel said. “My neighbors are Mexican, Black, Armenian, Asian — it’s literally a cultural melting pot.”
Guerrero noted that early media coverage of the LA wildfires focused often on the Palisades Fire and the devastation caused there, while overlooking the terrible loss taking place in the BIPOC community of Altadena.
“We just thought the coverage and social media narrative was a bit unfair, because not everybody in Los Angeles is wealthy or insured,” Guerrero said. “There's an amazing outpouring of resources, food, water, clothing for people who have been displaced. But at the end of the day, if you're talking about underinsured or under-resourced folks, they need money."
We just thought the coverage and social media narrative was a bit unfair, because not everybody in Los Angeles is wealthy or insured.
A trail in Altadena, before the fires ravaged the area
Credit: 2025 Kimberli SamuelDonation Lists and Initiatives
As a multicultural and inclusive travel marketing agency, Guerrero’s company helps travel brands and destinations “to understand the power and the narratives of BIPOC travelers.” Guerrero has worked closely with Samuel to create a support and donation list — featuring 144 individuals and families at press time — who’ve been impacted by the Eaton Fires.
“It's a listing of GoFundMe accounts — [along with] some Venmo [accounts], and some Zelle [accounts] — where we try to articulate the extent of the devastation, who [these individuals and families] are, and what they're looking for,” Guerrero said. “I've been getting no less than a dozen, half a dozen requests a day for people to be added to that list because they're seeing it, and they're desperate.”
Destinations International’s LA Wildfire Recovery Fund
Meanwhile, Destinations International, a national association for official DMOs and tourism boards, has launched an LA Wildfire Recovery Fund, raising more than $100,000 in 72 hours. As of Jan. 16, the fund has received donations from tourism boards in Southern California, including Palm Springs, West Hollywood, Anaheim and Newport Beach (at $10,000 each); as well as out-of-state tourism boards and meetings and incentives provider IMEX Group ($10,000). One-hundred percent of all donations will go directly to recovery efforts in areas affected by the wildfires.
Internova Travel Group’s Family Bonds Foundation
The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is also encouraging people to help LA-area colleagues in need through the Family Bonds Foundation, Internova Travel Group’s charitable initiative created in 2015 to help out the travel industry community with unexpected financial hardships.
“With at least two dozen people killed, and thousands of homes and other buildings destroyed, we know the need for assistance is immense,” said Jackie Friedman, president of both the Family Bonds Foundation and Nexion Travel Group, in a statement. “We encourage anyone in the travel industry who was affected by the wildfires to apply for a grant that could help meet some of their immediate needs.”
Luggage of Love Campaign
Two LA-based travel industry colleagues – Evelyn St. Germain, president of League Marketing Group, and Susie Albin-Najera of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, have teamed up to launch a “Luggage of Love” effort, which provides new sets of luggage for travel industry members who have been affected by the wildfires.
Inside the luggage will be a variety of personal and household necessities. St. Germain and Albin-Najera are also collecting gift cards (from places such as Amazon, Target, Old Navy, Macy’s and more) to distribute to individuals who have been impacted.
To donate to Luggage of Love, travel industry members are encouraged to reach out to St. Germain at [email protected]. They can also mail gift cards to the League Marketing Group PO Box at PO Box 2319 | Manhattan Beach, CA. 90267.
Luggage from Ricardo Beverly Hills
And the folks at Ricardo Beverly Hills, a retail store that sells travel accessories, announced Wednesday that they’ll be donating 150 pieces of luggage – filled with clothing, shoes and toiletries — to people who lost everything in the fires.
“As a company founded in Los Angeles, we feel a deep connection to this city,” said Laurent Bourscheidt, the vice president of marketing for Ricardo Beverly Hills. “And we are honored to play a small part in helping our neighbors rebuild their lives during this difficult time.”
TravelAge West’s Travel Industry LA Fires Support Tracker
TravelAge West has also created its own Travel Industry LA Fires Support Tracker spreadsheet with resources for travel industry members who need help. The editable doc features GoFundMe pages for members of the travel industry who have been affected, in addition to links for further resources, including hotels offering special evacuation rates and info on filling out FEMA paperwork.
