Despite losing everything this week in the devastating and still raging Los Angeles County wildfires, Daisy Suarez Giles' family returned to survey the remains of their burnt-out home. There, her two young sons were delighted to find some of their toys in the fire. rubble.
Three-time business owner Suarez Giles ironically moved into his home in Altadena, Calif., above a pharmacy during the coronavirus pandemic, when someone stole it in the middle of the night. He said he was trying to burn down the building. ground.
“Right after COVID-19, we left downtown Los Angeles. At the time, there were a lot of protests and riots going on. When we left, we left downtown Los Angeles. Because we had Rite Aid downstairs in the building and people, you know, tried to burn down the ritual.''They tried to burn the building down, so we ran downstairs and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.'' Suarez-Giles said. “And I had my youngest son, Lucas, who was six months old, and I thought, 'They're going to burn us alive here,' so we have to leave. did.
“I said to my husband, 'We have to find a way to come up with money and buy a new house because we can't stay here. 'And we ran from there and came here, and they burned us out of our house,' she said, fighting through tears. added.
Daisy Suarez Giles and her family, including her husband and two sons, pictured in front of their destroyed home in Altadena, California. (Daisy Suarez-Giles)
Suarez Giles said their home was born out of hard work, determination and a desire to keep their family safe.
The family learned about the raging fire midday Tuesday, but was initially alarmed as they watched neighbors leave the affected area of Eaton and move their horses and other animals. However, he was unsure whether he should evacuate. fire.
Ultimately, around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Suarez-Giles decided it would be best to wake up her sons Henry and Lucas, grab some important items, and sleep in the car overnight just to be safe. said.
“We woke them up at 1:30, so technically we didn't leave until about 2 o'clock because it took us a little while to gather things and get out. And then we left for three hours. “Within, the house was already done and gone,” she said.
Suarez-Giles woke up her family and was about to leave when she found out what was happening, which upset the boys, she said.
“Henry was very upset about it. He cried. Lucas was scared when the fire was coming. Especially when he left the house with two young children, he panicked a lot. “Lucas was crying,” she said. “He was so panicked when I woke him up. I said, 'I have to go, baby, there's a fire coming.'”
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Daisy Suarez Giles' family investigates the destruction of their home in Altadena, California, as a result of the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County. (Daisy Suarez-Giles)
Standing next to his mother in the aftermath of the fire Thursday, Henry was interviewed by reporters as he recounted the terrifying moments leading up to losing his home, clutching the only two things he had left in the world.
“Then the power went out, and we, and then we were going to pick up my dad, and he was already here. Then the lights came on and the flashlights were really good, so I went and my dad woke us up.’ Then we left the house,” Henry said. “And we didn't know the house was going to burn like this. And we left a lot of stuff in the house and it burned. And there was a 3D printer. And it was mine. It was very special for me. It makes me a little sad, but I don't know why, but this happened to our house.
“And so many things that I loved are gone. And now everything is broken and all the colors and things are gone. And these are the only things I have.”
Suarez Giles said as time went on, the power went out and panic began to set in. Her youngest son, Lucas, started crying, she said.
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“He started panicking. Then my husband went to get a flashlight and Henry was very brave and helped us pack up. I got everything ready so we could leave. “Let's get ready,'' she said. “It was just around 11 o'clock, we were still at home, and they were like, 'Oh, I'm tired, I want to go to bed.' They were tired, so I said, 'Okay, everyone go to bed. It's okay, I'm awake.''
The ruins of the Suarez Giles mansion in Altadena, California, destroyed by the Eaton Fire. (Daisy Suarez-Giles)
Suarez Giles said her family wasn't the only ones in the house when the fire approached. A teacher at her son's school rented a room in her home and did not leave until it was too late.
“He woke up to the fire. My husband tried to tell him to go, but the school was in contact with the teachers and everyone else, so they knew everything about what was going on. ” she said. “He didn't think anything of it, but said the fire had come in through the window and he almost got burned.”
Brave Henry wanted to return to the site of his former home to see what was broken and see what remained.
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“My father took a video of it because I wanted to make sure it wasn't broken.” [to show] “We went there, so we know what happened. That was the chimney that Santa used to come to, and now it's gone,” he said. You can no longer buy presents here. ”
The Eaton, Palisades, Kenneth, Hearst, and Lydia fires have burned more than 35,000 acres, and the Eaton and Palisades fires have claimed at least 11 lives, Los Angeles County officials said.
