LA Wildfires: What We’re Doing & How You Can Help

On January 7, 2025, massive wildfires started tearing through the greater Los Angeles area, eventually burning over 40,000 acres of land, destroying over 16,000 homes and businesses, and tragically taking the lives of 29 people—with the total damage being placed at upwards of $250 billion dollars. Even though the fire is now mostly contained (at the time of writing), the fallout and impact from the inferno is far from over, and there’s still an enormous amount of work to be done—that's where AETHER comes in.

Community Is Everything

Community has always been a huge part of AETHER, and connecting with our local community has always been at the heart of what we do. Being part of a community means being there for each other through thick and thin, celebrating each other’s wins and successes, and being there to provide help and support in darker times. With Los Angeles being our home, we took a deliberate step back to figure out how we, as a company, could use our platform and resources to most effectively assist in the relief efforts.

Taking Action

In the aftermath of the fires, a slew of our staff stepped up to help out, donating their time to organize, take stock of, and sort incoming donations. Additionally, we used our official AETHER x Rivian R1T partnership vehicle to shuttle much-needed supplies to and from donation centers. What’s more, we’ve donated almost 1,200 pieces of men's and women's clothing to the LA Dream Center, providing those impacted with everything from jackets, pants, and hats to wardrobe basics like t-shirts and underwear—the stuff people really need when they've truly lost everything. To get others on board, we’ve also added a donation option to our website where we're matching up to $10,000 in donations—all of which is going directly to CalFire.

Long-Term Committment

When large-scale natural disasters occur, they tend to receive a tremendous amount of media attention in the days and weeks immediately following the event. Far too often, however, media coverage quickly wanes, attention gets focused elsewhere, and the sense of urgency starts to diminish, along with the amount of donations coming in. And that’s why we’re committing to providing continued support to those impacted by the wildfires, as the rebuilding process is going to be long, costly, and extraordinarily difficult.

Angeles National Forest

A Tradition Of Supporting Firefighters

California is a pretty amazing place, with the state boasting everything from snow-capped mountains to arid deserts to lush forests. As a company, we've long been a proponent of fiercely defending these wildlands and making sure they’ll be around for future generations. This is also why we’ve also been vehement supporters of the brave individuals working on the front lines to manage and prevent wildfires, such as the Smokejumpers. Often referred to as the Navy SEALs of firefighting, this elite group of specially-trained first responders utilizes a unique approach to combatting wildfires, being dropped by plane and parachuting into active wildfires—a strategy that allows them to get boots on the ground in locales that would otherwise be immensely difficult if not impossible to reach, and to do so extremely fast. Even prior to the recent LA fires, AETHER has been highlighting and celebrating the Smokejumpers, sharing our support for what they do and sharing their story—which you can watch below and read more about here.

How You Can Help

The majority of the fires that recently ravaged the Los Angeles area have now been extinguished, and while we’re extremely thankful for this, we know our work is far from over. Though we’ll be continuing to support our community in Southern California, we can’t do it alone. Even with the necessary funding, rebuilding the homes and businesses that were turned to rubble will take years if not decades. So, if you’d like to learn more about how YOU can help, we’ve provided the following resources below:

Where To Donate:

CalFire
https://www.fire.ca.gov

Los Angeles Fire Department
https://lafd.org

U.S. Hotshots Association
https://www.ushotshots.com

World Central Kitchen
https://wck.org

Convoy of Hope
https://convoyofhope.org

Baby2Baby
https://baby2baby.org

Where to Volunteer

To find opportunities to volunteer in your local community, you can check out the resource linked below.

Mutual Aid Resource Directory
https://www.mutualaid.la/resources