All four generations of the same family lost their home in the Los Angeles wildfires that are still raging.
Daniel Stone (37 years old) and her husband Brian Davila (35 years old) told the Los Angeles Times The home they lived in with their baby daughter Melina was one of thousands destroyed in the deadly Eaton Fire.
After being evacuated, they moved in with Stone's parents just a mile away, but they were also forced to evacuate there. They also convinced Stone's grandmother, Helena Montanez, to leave her home of 60 years.
The family learned Wednesday that all three homes were destroyed, affecting four generations, from Stone's baby daughter to her 89-year-old great-grandmother.
“It doesn't feel that real,” Stone told LA. “You go to sleep and wake up and think, 'Is this real?'
The three homes that burned were within two miles of each other in an area where the family's roots date back more than 100 years.
Stone said she and her husband bought a home in 2022 less than a mile from her parents, who still lived in their childhood home. A year after we moved, our daughter was born.
Everyone was forced to evacuate Jan. 7 when Santa Ana's fierce winds spread the fire in Eaton Canyon.
Davila told his wife to understand that she might never come back, she recalled.
“But even as I say that, I think in that mindset… you still don't really believe it,” Davila said. “I lost a lot. Honestly, in my heart, I thought I was going to go home.”
They moved to Stone's parents' home, but it was clear that they would all have to leave by the next morning, so they eventually moved to her grandmother's house to give her shelter as well.
They eventually moved to Davila's sister's house in Hacienda Heights.
Stone's parents raised her and her sister in Altadena after her grandmother settled nearby and raised six children.
“My grandmother made sacrifices and did everything she could to build a safe home for herself and her family,” Stone told the outlet.
“My parents worked hard to save every penny and do everything they could to create a safe home for me and my sister. For Brian and me.”
Despite the wreckage, Stone said her family plans to rebuild their home in Altadena. A GoFundMe to help the Stone, Davila and Montanez families rebuild has raised $108,825 of its $130,000 goal.
