Alpha Tau Omega fraternity members Trent Jackson, Brennan Hughes and David Pavlik packed their bags earlier this month and flew to southern California, but vacationing was the last thing on their minds.

Jackson, senior in LAS, Hughes, sophomore in LAS and Pavlik, senior in business, went to help with the wildfire relief effort.

The wildfires started on Oct. 25 and burned for several days, destroying more than 600,000 acres of land in San Diego County. About 3,000 families were left homeless with nothing more than a pile of debris and ash in place of their residences.

After reading about the wildfires in The Chicago Tribune and seeing images of the devastation on CNN, the students said they were compelled to do anything they could to help the relief effort. They registered with the American Red Cross and flew to California to offer their assistance in person. Jackson said it was an opportunity to help out with something different.

"It seemed like a good experience and you'd get exposed to something you wouldn't see in the Midwest," Jackson said.

Although their decision to go to California involved missing a week of class and postponing a few of Pavlik's job interviews, the students felt strongly about helping out and thought they could afford to give time to the relief effort.

"We wanted to bring some positive energy to the relief effort," Pavlik said.

The students rented a car in California and drove to the American Red Cross center in San Diego. They attended a training seminar, and drove the next day to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) center in Ramona, Calif., to directly assist with the relief effort.

Hughes described the sight of the devastation as an eye-opening experience.

"I was shocked ... it was really different seeing it on the news and then seeing it firsthand," he said.

Jackson and Pavlik said that the scenes and scents of the damage were something they wouldn't soon forget.

"I didn't expect it ... everything smelled like ashes," Jackson said. "You couldn't see anything; it was like a barren desert."

For two days, Jackson, Hughes and Pavlik worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. helping fire victims in Julian, a small community near Ramona. They spent the first day sifting through ash and removing trees, cars and other debris from the disaster area. The students assisted a couple who lost a 600-acre house and nine trailers.

Allison Crotty, manager of the Ramona FEMA Center, said she found the students' selflessness unbelievable. She said that in addition to the assistance they provided during the day, they also packed up portions of their own dinners to deliver to the couple at night.

The second day, Jackson, Hughes and Pavlik sandbagged a 30-foot firewall around a home to protect the property from possible mudslides. After a 12-hour shift, they handed out food to victims and shuttled them to local emergency shelters.

Although the students said they felt fulfilled with the physical assistance that they were able to provide, they said they felt most rewarded by the relationships they made while interacting with the victims. Pavlik met a divorced woman who had just moved to California. The family lost everything, but the mother maintained a great attitude nonetheless.

"It puts everything in perspective," Pavlik said. "They were really a source of inspiration."

The students did not have enough money for a hotel room, so they slept in the rental car a few nights. Julian residents later offered room in their homes for the group to sleep, and a few people who lost their homes even offered room in their tent.

Crotty said that the residents really appreciated the students' help and enjoyed their company.

"They really touched a lot of people," she said.

Crotty explained that the majority of the volunteers were from San Diego County, many of whom were older people who could not lift things or do the kind of strenuous work that the students did.

"They're just amazing," she said. "They put their heart into it and their hands and really made a difference."

All three students said they would do something like this again if presented with the opportunity.

"It's really fulfilling knowing that you're helping people," Hughes said.