Tracy Quinn drives down the Pacific Coast Highway. Her job? Find out how much damage the Los Angeles wildfires caused to the ocean off California’s shore.

It doesn’t look good. Ash darkens the water line. Burnt washing machines, dryers, and metal appliances litter the shoreline. Sludge carpets the water’s edge. Waves lap onto charred homes. They pull debris back into the sea.

“It was just heartbreaking,” says Ms. Quinn. She is president and CEO of the environmental group Heal the Bay. Her team has reported ash and debris as far as 25 miles south of the Pacific Palisades burn area west of Los Angeles.

The fires swept through California a little over a month ago. Now crews clean up. That’s no small task. The fires scorched thousands of homes, businesses, cars, and electronics. Many everyday items become hazardous when burned. All that ash contains poisons such as pesticides, asbestos, and lead.

Much of that could end up in the Pacific Ocean. What might that do to sea life? 

Not to mention people! The debris could make the water unsafe for surfers and swimmers. It could kill sea creatures we rely on for food.

Julie Dinasquet is an ecologist watching the water. At sea, she and other researchers spotted debris. And they smelled it. She says it smelled like electronics burning, “not like a nice campfire.”

Runoff from rain is also a big problem. Rainfall picks up contaminants and trash. It carries that gunk through drains and rivers to the sea. 

Officials snap into action. They set up thousands of feet of concrete barriers to stop debris from reaching beaches. They get ready to test the water. They warn beachgoers not to swim.

Pray for officials and scientists in California. Ask God to give them wisdom to care for His world well.

Who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and founds His vault upon the Earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the Earth—the Lord is His name. — Amos 9:6