Nina Dobrev Has ‘Survivor’s Guilt’ After LA Home ‘Made It’ Amid Fires

Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

Nina Dobrev is reflecting on the devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires — and is encouraging her fans to do the same.

“Hi everyone. It’s been such a tragic time in Los Angeles recently,” Dobrev, 36, said in a Sunday, January 19, Instagram post. “I have been absolutely sick to my stomach with all the destruction and devastation that these fires have caused and displaced so many families. My heart is broken for all the people affected by these wildfires.”

Dobrev explained that she was among the tens of thousands of people who evacuated their homes due to the wildfires that began earlier this month. Dobrev left her home on January 9, which was her 36th birthday.

“Definitely not how I planned on spending my birthday,” Dobrev said. “But I wanted to make this video to thank everyone for their birthday wishes and to make a request. I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling survivor’s guilt.”

Dobrev noted that her home was “close to one of the fires,” but ultimately “made it.” She added, “But so many others were not so lucky.”

Dobrev encouraged her followers to donate, linking a spreadsheet in her bio that highlights the GoFundMe links of “many of the families” who lost their homes.

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“What people really need right now is financial aid to help them get back on their feet and start rebuilding their lives and their homes,” she said. “The Pacific Palisades, the Altadena-Pasadena community, in particular, needs it the most.”

For her birthday, Dobrev donated to the GoFundMe pages and said she “would love it” if her followers could do the same gesture — small or big donations.

“I put myself in the shoes of all these people whose homes have burned down to the ground with their belongings, their memories, their everything that made them feel safe in the world now gone, and their insurance dropped them,” Dobrev said. “For some of them, the level of tragedy is immeasurable and it’s really hard to comprehend. They’ve lost everything.”

Dobrev said her heart has broken into “a million pieces” for the families impacted by the fires. Dobrev concluded her video by sharing that she was thinking of those affected, saying, “My thoughts and prayers go out to you all.”

“The devastation in LA is immeasurable and heartbreaking This is my plea to help. For my birthday, my only wish this year is that you help a family in need,” Dobrev captioned her post. “I’ve donated to the families on the Google doc that is linked in my bio. If you have been seeing all of the pictures and videos online and if you want to help too, please consider donating as well. There is a dedicated section for the black families & other historically marginalized groups in the Altadena community who have been hit especially hard.”

She concluded, “Thank you for your support always, but especially now. The road to rebuilding and healing for so many families who have lost everything starts now, and it will be a long one… #LosAngelesfires.”

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.