Around noon on Sept. 9, orange smoke clouded the typically blue OC sky. The smoke was later confirmed to be coming from Canyon Fire 2.

This canyon fire, the second of its kind in just a few months, began in the Anaheim Hills area. As a result, people with homes in Anaheim, Orange and Tustin were ordered to evacuate. According to, the fire burned about 9,200 acres of land and more than 1,100 firefighter, along with helicopters and planes, worked to control the fire.

“We’ve had forest fires in Southern California in the past, but never anything [like this],” said Learning Center teacher Eva Schulte, who was evacuated from her home. “It was almost stifling. The smoke and the smell and the cloudiness and the color of the sun – it was a little bit surreal.”

With so many locals evacuated, community centers and schools were provided for overnight shelter. Many Mater Dei families made their ways to their extended family’s houses while others stayed in hotels.

Freshman Charlotte Casey, for example, stayed at a hotel by the school for two nights with her family. Upon returning home, her house was unharmed.

“It was weird and very different,” Casey said. “I was a little nervous about what would happen to our house, but it all turned out well.”

Schulte was relieved that everything was ok when she arrived home  but now that she has experience with natural disaster, she now knows how to prepare for future calamities.

“It’s really helpful to have all your important documents in one place, which for the most part I do,” Schulte said. “That’s was one thing that I thought if, God forbid should something happen, those would be really be important to have on hand.”

While Canyon Fire 2 ravaged Orange County, 36,432 acres were destroyed by a fire in Northern California. In response to the devastation, the Dean’s Office organized a fundraiser for Cardinal Newman High School, a Catholic school in Santa Rosa, that was damaged substantially due to a fire. The school collected $5,000 from donations by the Mater Dei community.

“All I can say is that I’m really happy that the students contributed and that we were about to send that small amount of money to help a school that is similar to Mater Dei,” Dean Kathleen Immel said.