A week after wildfires ripped through the Altadena community, the smell of destruction is still in the air. The Eaton fire, which gutted 7,000 buildings and killed at least 15 people, sent acrid smoke into the walls of uncharted homes.
On Woodbury Road, intact homes stand among charred rubble, the devastation overwhelming the senses. Houses that have not been completely destroyed offer a glimpse of what life was like before the disaster. Inside the cabinet are black pitchers and mugs, a bed still standing, a burnt bicycle and children's toys.
In front of a flat piece of land is a nearly untouched lemon tree, near which someone has left out cat food. In the distance, flame retardant streaks the hillside. Some of the burnt-out properties have laminated paper taped to them with links to GoFundMe pages.
Jose Medina has been exposed to many fires in the 40 years he has lived along Woodbury Road. But he said the fires that broke out around his area last week felt like a world war. “It was the worst fire I've ever seen in my life,” he said from the surviving garden of his home, where his family operates a donation center for neighbors.
A week later, Medina and the people here are only just beginning to realize that their lives and Altadena as a whole have been changed forever. Wide swaths of the community are under lockdown, and many people remain unable to access their properties. Law enforcement and National Guard troops are stationed at the entrance to the closed road.
On Wednesday, evacuees gathered clothes and shoes in front of Medina's house. Medina's family usually runs a shop selling churros at their home. The family began collecting donations from individuals and community groups last week, with dozens of neighbors arriving each day. Jose Velazquez, Medina's nephew, said people have been bringing in donations from all over California.
The morning streets were quiet except for the sounds of demolition workers raking through debris and vegetation as people silently sorted through dozens of shoes, sneakers and tiny baby flip flops.
Velasquez said she could tell who had lost their home just by looking at people's dark faces.
“The people are all very grateful. Some of them are here crying,” Velazquez said.
Velasquez and Medina remained at the scene when the fire broke out. They spent hours watering not only their own roofs and lawns, but also neighboring homes. However, the huge palm trees that were on fire spewed large embers directly into the houses in the street. Houses soon began to burn, reducing houses to rubble and cars to charred metal.
“That's when we knew we couldn't do it. It was a mess, driving away while the house next door was on fire.” Velasquez said. The garage burned, and with it Velasquez's business sold Pokemon cards. But the family home made it through. They immediately started collecting donations. Some of the signs used for businesses are being repurposed to direct residents to resources.
Velasquez said the community has always supported them and their family wanted to do the same for them.
“Like they were here from the moment we started our business until the end. It's a very close-knit community. ”
Despite the devastation, he remains hopeful that Altadena will return. “Everyone wants to come back to this community.”
