Over the past seven years, Boston University sophomore Emmett Whitaker has casted, funded, produced and edited five seasons of “Survivor Palisades” — a fan-made version of the competition reality television series “Survivor.” After disaster struck his community, the footage was all that remained. Earlier this year, a highly destructive series of wildfires swept California, primarily affecting the Pacific Palisades. Whitaker, a Palisades native, was editing his fifth and final season of “Survivor Palisades” when the fires destroyed his home.

Boston University students and staff recount the devastation of the LA wildfires.