The LA fires burned down my daughter's private school — and hurt business at my café. Now, I can't afford her tuition.

Amara Barroeta

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Amara Barroeta, a 41-year-old café owner who lives in Pasadena, California, with her husband and her 5-year-old daughter, Barbara. Barroeta's business has been struggling since the LA fires broke out on January 7, and her daughter's school burned down in the Eaton Fire.