“When Calls the Heart” star Erin Krakow opened up about Season 13, Episode 2, “Up in Smoke,” and revealed the inspiration behind the episode.
In the January 11 episode, a wildfire rips through Goldie National Park. The storyline is especially striking, as it coincides with the first anniversary of the tragic Los Angeles fires.
Krakow, who plays Elizabeth Thatcher in the hit Hallmark Channel series, told Soaps.com that the timing was no coincidence at all.
“I believe that [the episode] may have been partially inspired by that situation,” Krakow told the outlet.
The actress went on to say the episode may be “challenging to watch,” especially for those affected by the devastating LA fires.
“It is an action-packed, drama-filled, emotional episode that we start to see a bit of at the end of Episode 1, but we really dig into it in Episode 2,” she added.
Erin Krakow Teases What’s Ahead on ‘When Calls the Heart’ Episode 2
Krakow also teased what fans can expect from “When Calls the Heart” Season 13, Episode 2. The actress hinted at a “very moving” episode, adding that it’s an indirect “love letter” to Los Angeles.
“There is this horrendous fire, and we see Hope Valley open their arms to a neighboring town to really provide a safe haven for them and be not just a community for each other, but for an entire other town,” Krakow revealed.
Krakow said the line, “We will rebuild, but first we have to mourn,” resonates with her most, reflecting what Los Angeles went through in 2025.
“I think that quote holds a lot of truth,” she explained. “I also think it can be applied to many a domestic conversation where one person in a relationship wants to just fix a problem, and the other says, ‘No, I need to dig into this and mourn it or just work through the emotions of it.’ Even if you’ve never been through a fire, there’s something that’s very relatable about it.”
On January 7, 2025, a series of wildfires swept across the Los Angeles region. The blazes spread rapidly, fueled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and extreme drought conditions.
According to the New York Times, the tragedy claimed at least 31 lives and destroyed over 16,000 properties.
“When Calls the Heart” Season 13 airs Sundays on Hallmark Channel and streams the next day on Hallmark+.
So glad I have up on this show. Using the LA fires as a storyline is tone deaf and extremely distasteful
I Love this show 🥹💓 And I’m sorry but I don’t feel it’s Distasteful… They’re all wonderful empathetic actors who most likely reside in LA and lived through the raging Fires 🔥 and possibly lost their homes, belongings possibly loved ones 💔 Some might still be mourning over their loses and the Raging 🔥 in what’s called “Goldie Park” might not be planned out to compare to what happened in LA?
Fires are so devastating I lost my home and everything we had except for what me my granddaughter and daughter had on it was so hard I can’t imagine what the fires they went through were like and the lives that were lost God bless you all