Wife of L.A. Firefighter Knows 'People Need Him' as She Details Life at Home with Small Kids Right Now (Exclusive)
Andrew Morales is stationed at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 15 near the University of California
Allexa Morales (2)
Allexa Morales with her husband Andrew and their two kidsIn a typical month, Allexa Morales’ husband, Andrew, works 10 days as a firefighter: one day on, one day off, followed by a few days of rest. However, since the fires broke out in Los Angeles, his schedule has drastically changed.
Andrew, who's been a fire fighter for three years, is stationed at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 15 near the University of California. Last year, he worked at Station 69, which is in the Palisades. Not only has he been serving on the frontlines as part of the Eaton fire strike team, but he’s also staying back at the firehouse to respond to the overwhelming number of 9-1-1 calls flooding in.
"My husband was home when the fires started [last] Monday," Allexa tells PEOPLE exclusively. "They got the notifications around 9 a.m., and he was like, 'Oh, crap, there’s a fire in the Palisades.' When you hear that, you think, 'Okay, they’ll put it out, it’ll be fine. It’s a wildfire — it’ll be under control.' "
"But as the day went on, we learned they were sending companies out," she adds. "We didn’t think much of it at first because, number one, it’s not fire season, and number two, it’s in the Palisades, so we thought it would be taken care of quickly. Then, Monday night, when the winds started getting really bad, that's when it escalated."
"He started getting text messages from his firefighter text group asking who could come in because the city was understaffed," she explains. "It wasn’t just the fire at that point — it was also the structure fires happening in South Central that no one could cover, or it was taking too long for companies to respond because they were all sent out to the Palisades. That’s when the understaffing issue became really worrisome. If I’m calling 9-1-1 here at my house, I’m hoping and praying the fire department gets here in a minute or two."
Allexa Morales
Allexa Morales with her husband Andrew and their two kidsAllexa is thankful that her family’s home in Covina, Calif., about 20 minutes outside of Pasadena, hasn’t been directly affected by the fires — aside from the poor air quality caused by smoke. However, the most challenging aspect of managing life since the fires has been juggling her responsibilities as a parent to their 4-year-old daughter, Ava, and 9-month-old son, Theo, while Andrew, also 31, is away.
While Allexa knows she can call her mom to watch the kids if she needs to run an errand or take some time for herself, she says she doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone — and, ultimately, it’s just not the same as having her spouse home.
Allexa Morales
Andrew Morales with his daughter."Theo was in the NICU for a month after he was born, so right now we're experiencing some delays with him — just normal delays — but there are things we need to work through, too, on top of regular life. So our time at home is really precious," Allexa says. "My daughter, Ava, is 4, and she's totally obsessed with her dad right now. I’ll tell Andrew, ‘She’s expecting you to be here in the morning to take her to school.’ "
"That’s my selfishness coming through," she adds. "I’m thinking about him taking her to school, and then I have to remind myself — people need him, and I’m here supporting him. That’s the tough part. I'm like, 'Okay, if you have to go, I support you, but I’m going to be at home worrying.' It’s just that Ava’s at an age where she wants her dad with her all the time, and that makes it hard on me, especially as a couple."
Despite the pressure, Allexa knows that Andrew trusts her to hold down the fort at home.
"He knows I’ve got it here," she says. "I’m very secure when he’s gone, but it’s that added pressure because the kids miss him so much. I try to hide my emotions, but it’s hard. It’s all over my face.”
Since her kids are so young, they aren’t able to fully comprehend what is going on, so Allexa tries not to go into too much detail with Ava about the situation. She says Ava knows that her dad goes to work to help people and put out fires, but that's about it.
On occasion, Allexa will take the kids to visit Andrew at the fire station, including once this week when they brought over In-N-Out for the firefighters, a donation from their friends.
"I definitely did not show any kind of video or pictures or anything, just because she’s so curious," Allexa says. "And I just feel like, in my opinion, kids should be sheltered at this age. They don’t need to be worrying about things like that."
Since the fires broke out, Allexa has started sharing more about her life as a mom during this challenging time on TikTok and Instagram. While she sees influencers and more privileged individuals sharing how the fires have affected them, Allexa wanted to offer a glimpse into how everyday people have been impacted, fire wives in particular.
One video, in which she captured Andrew coming home after a 24-hour shift, went viral, garnering more than 1.4 million views and 2,600 comments. In another video, she recorded herself and the kids dropping off In-N-Out for the firefighters.
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“I was like, oh my God, my whole year has been made by these comments. It’s amazing,” Allexa says, adding how she was shocked to see people chiming in from all over the world.
“No one really talks about the wives of law enforcement or firemen," she continues. "People don’t often recognize the daily struggles we face, probably with the same challenges I’m going through right now. I know there are 3,000 other LAFD wives out there, some of whom are stay-at-home moms or work-from-home moms, struggling with these schedules. How do they manage if they don’t have help from family or a nanny? It’s a lot.”
"I actually have a text thread with some of the other fire wives, which is amazing," she adds. "All of us are around the same age and have young children, so we can all relate. It's a s--- show right now at home, and we all just talk about that and laugh about it. I have a strong community with them, which I love."
Allexa Morales
Allexa Morales with her husband Andrew and their two kidsAllexa adds that her husband and the other firefighters still have a long way to go before the fires are fully under control, and even once they are better contained, their work won’t be over.
"They also do a lot of cleanup. The term for it is called 'mop-up,' " she explains. "Right now, the Palisades is pretty much in mop-up mode, and I think Eaton is too, but I’m speaking specifically about the Palisades because that’s within L.A. city limits."
"The strike teams that are still being sent out are going in to check for any remains — people who didn’t get out in time — and to monitor any hotspots where the fire could reoccur," she adds. "A lot of houses still have hotspots, and the area has been so hot that those flare-ups are possible. They go in and put those out. It’s a lot of cleanup work, and over the next few months, different teams will be sent out to handle the ongoing cleanup."
"But my husband and I are so grateful for the LAFD and the opportunities they provide him to build a fulfilling career," she continues. "These guys are all very grateful with all the city support. We've so many restaurants and people reaching out bringing food, water and electrolyte packets. It's just lovely seeing so many people come together."
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