Leta Rector always knew she was a mixed-blood Cherokee.

“My dad was a very handsome man with dark skin. We visited my grandmother often in the Indian Territory in Oklahoma. She spoke Cherokee and English perfectly. She told us lots of stories about her childhood. Some of them were very sad.”

Living in Los Angeles, Rector has dealt with wildfires before.

She tries to think of them like the local Tongva and Chumash, whose cultural burns of the Southern California hillsides prior to the 20th century promoted environmental health, and the growth of food and medicinal plants.

Forced from her home by the Hurst Fire, Rector found safe refuge with the Red Cross at the Richie Valens Community Center shelter in Pacoima.

With so many fires – the Palisades, Hurst, and Eaton Fires – all at once, she said, “It’s been very unsettling, but I try to keep my mind straight.”

Speaking about the Red Cross volunteers who are caring for the evacuees there, she said, “It’s wonderful. These people care and they just want to serve you. Any of your needs. We have a good time here with them and there’s no need that goes uncared for.”