Will Rogers State Park: Saving the Past, Preserving the Future

Lying on a hill, a 185-acre state park sits surrounded by the neighborhoods and the mountains that tower behind it. Charred Eucalyptus trees dot the mountain terrain, leaving traces of the bright green they once brought. Ashy wind blows the faces of workers traversing the now barren landscape. Debris-filled holes take the place of what once was a historic home. Will Rogers Historic State Park sits lifeless.

“It was like taking a blowtorch and lighting the community on fire,” said Richard Fink, California Parks District Superintendent.

The Palisades fire was one of the four major fires that hit the Los Angeles area from Jan. 7 to Jan. 31. It was the first fire to be ignited in Topanga State Park at around 10:30 a.m. It thrust its way southwest towards the Palisades neighborhood and Will Rogers Historic State Park. The fires affected 23,000 people in the Palisades area alone, but the reach went as far north as Malibu and as far east as Altadena. Fink oversaw the protocols that day.

Fink has been working in the California Park system for two years. Before California, Fink was at Gettysburg, Central Park and other parks in New York State. 

 “You could look over the ranch house and see the fire from several miles away. For most of the day, the fires continued down the coast in the opposite way, so we didn’t move right away.”

There is a protocol set in place at Will Rogers in case of fire. “We have the inspiration loop, a trail system that leads behind the house. We have the advantage of going up that hill and seeing the fire from far away and seeing which direction it’s moving in,” said Fink. The evacuation protocol includes getting the horses off the property, gathering valuables in the house and getting employees and patrons out of the park. 

“We did start preparing boxes, vehicles, and activating our emergency plan. We had everything staged and ready to go if the fire changed directions. Which it did.”

At around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, the wind shifted and the fire changed directions. “It went several miles in about half an hour.”

The Santa Ana winds are to blame for the speed at which the fire spread. “The Santa Ana wind events were extreme. Typically, you don’t see 100mph winds. Whether that’s climate change or some coincidence, I can’t say.”

The wind pattern is dry, warm and gusty coming from the northeast that blows from the interior of Southern California towards the coast. On this day, there were times these winds exceeded 100 mph. California was also enduring a dry spell that bled in from 2024. These conditions made it perfect for a wildfire to grow and spread.

How does a fire decide where to spread? 

“The fire is looking for fuel, the winds were about 100 mph. A spark from two miles away could’ve been the cause of the fire igniting the park, but winds were coming from all over. Once it hit the park it sort of stopped and shifted upwards towards the mountain and Topanga State Park,” Fink said.

The fire came from several miles away to the park in about 30 minutes. “Even as we were leaving, some staff had to divert due to flames, and a tree had fallen on the main entrance.” Fink continued, “I’m just incredibly proud of how our staff did that.”

The park has been evacuated since, with certain staff members being able to return. Hazard crews have already come through and done their first sweep of the properties. The ranch house and the stables were destroyed in the fire, as well as staff houses. Only a few maintenance buildings remain, Fink told us. Some of the areas were not allowed to be explored by reporters due to concerns about asbestos. 

Will Rogers State Park plans to reopen as soon as they are able. There are a lot of things that go into making sure the park can be open and operate safely. 

“The EPA has already completed phase one of debris removal, phase two is the actual stuff you see.” The stuff that people can see include trees, debris from the building/stables, and other invasive plant species that have started taking root in the park. “Once the debris is removed  we have a series of trailers that will be used to house our staff and operations

The wildlife has already began to return to the park. The birds were back and chirping when only a few days prior they were nowhere to be seen. Other animals that are known in the park include coyotes and deer. “I’ve seen the deer I know they are fine,” Fink continued.

When it comes to rebuilding, Rogers’ family and his granddaughter have a foundation that supports the park, they will be a big part in how the park decides to go forward. Items that were saved in the fire are currently stored in Sacramento with the Cultural Resources Division of the state parks.

“I want the media to know we are intending to reopen. Our own internal goal to be the first park in the Palisades to reopen, and when that does happen I would love the media to report on it. I think it shows progress, people work together and collaborate, people are working towards common goals. As destructive as it was it doesn’t have to stop us from offering our park to others for the spring and summer,” Fink concluded.

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This story is part of a semester-long investigative reporting project into the 2025 California wildfires. It was created by an advanced reporting class in the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies program at UW-Milwaukee. Other stories from the project are available here.

This work was made possible through the support of MPC Endowment Ltd., the philanthropic affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club.