ALTADENA, Calif. — Joe Gruter and his adult children were crawling through the charred remains of his office on all fours searching for something they had hoped would never be found: Gruter's beloved bulldog, Maya. It was the remains of
“The worst phone call of my life was from my son. When I asked him if he could take Maya, he said, 'No, no, no, Dad,'” Gruter, who owns a construction business, told the Sunday Post. told the paper.
Gruter and his family believe the puppy that was guarding the office where he worked and lived died in the fire that destroyed the building.
Some families have been allowed to return to their homes as the costliest wildfire in California history continues to burn in Los Angeles County.
Many people are being reduced to nothing as their homes and property are destroyed in the fire.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation orders for some areas of the Eaton Fire, allowing residents to pass through police barricades, but the fire was nearly 90% contained as of Monday morning.
Mr. Greuter, 68, kept his most prized possessions in his office in the Altadena neighborhood of north Pasadena, including heirloom smoking pipes, a collection of antique guns and a meteorite he gave his son.
“I'm postponing my seven-stage depression treatment until I have more time. I need to rebuild my company now to help rebuild my employees and community,” he said.
He said two of his seven employees were left homeless by the Eaton Fire, which burned 14,000 acres in northern Los Angeles County. The Palisades Fire, California's most expensive fire in history, has burned through neighborhoods in the west.
Miriam Kotero, a 46-year-old Costco employee, and her two children returned to find their Altadena home engulfed in cinders.
Wearing white jumpsuits, goggles and other safety equipment, they waded through the ashes, but none of their family memorabilia survived the fire.
“We lost everything, all our memories… all that remains is ashes,” Kotero said.
Kotero lived there with his partner, their three children, ages 25, 22 and 17, and their granddaughter.
The family plans to stay at the hotel until Wednesday. She doesn't know what they'll do after that. Her son, Edward, is a senior at Pasadena High School, so the family can't move far away to find a rental home.
Kevin Sandbloom, a 57-year-old musician who lives next door, drove up, put on his white coveralls, and surveyed the pile of blackened rubble that was once his home.
“We're hoping to find some memorabilia. Maybe some photos, but I doubt that,” Sandbloom said.
He had a studio and garage full of music equipment, but more important to him were his 11-year-old daughter's drawings and drawings that covered the walls. ”
“I don't think there's anything left to find, but maybe no one will ever know.”
