Written by Joe Brock
ALTADENA, Calif. (Reuters) – In the tight-knit Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, where rows of neat bungalows once sat in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, now lie smoldering ruins and the skeletons of burned-out cars.
While the fires that destroyed celebrity neighborhoods near Malibu caught the world's attention, a similar-sized fire in Malibu caught the world's attention. Eaton (NYSE:) The Valley, north of Los Angeles, devastated the city of Altadena, an ethnically and economically diverse community.
Black and Latino families have lived in Altadena for generations, and the suburb is also popular with young artists and engineers working at NASA's rocket lab who are drawn to the small-town atmosphere and access to nature.
Several residents told Reuters they were concerned that government resources would be directed towards popular, high-profile areas, while insurance companies might turn to less affluent families who do not have the financial means to challenge fire claims.
“They won’t give you the value of your house,” said Kay Young, 63, with tears in her eyes as she stared at the crowd of smokers. “If they do, you have to fight for it.” The ruins, the remains of her family's home for generations.
Inez Moore, 40, whose family home in Altadena was destroyed by the fire, said communities like hers are likely to struggle more financially than wealthier suburbs because many residents don't have the resources or experience to deal with complex bureaucratic systems.
“There will be some people who won't get as much as they deserve, and some people who may get more than they really need,” said Moore, a lecturer at California State University.
Reuters has contacted major California home insurers for comment.
State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate (NYSE:), Mercury, Liberty Mutual and Farmers all responded with statements saying they are working with policyholders to help them file claims, without addressing the specific concerns raised by Altadena residents.
Moore, Young and several other residents told Reuters they saw no fire engines in Altadena in the early hours of Wednesday as they fled the flames sweeping through their community, stoking resentment that their neighborhood was not a priority.
“We didn't get help here. I don't know where everyone was,” Jocelyn Tavares, 32, said as her sister and daughter sifted through the rubble of a life turned upside down by the smoke. He miraculously escaped the flames.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
Reconstruction
Since erupting Tuesday night, the Eaton Fire has killed at least five people and has grown to 13,690 acres (5,540 hectares) as of Thursday evening, consuming much of the northern half of Altadena, a segregated community of about 40,000 people.
In late 1960, Altadena was almost entirely white. As new freeways built in urban renewal projects tore up Los Angeles neighborhoods, African American families began buying homes in a community that for decades had been relatively affordable.
Residents told Reuters they paid about $50,000 to buy a three-bedroom house in Altadena in the 1970s. The same house would cost more than $1 million today.
By 1990, nearly 40% of the population was black. Today, about 18% are black, 49% are white, and 27% are Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Altadena residents have expressed concerns that the area could become gentrified if families who have lived here for generations cannot secure insurance payouts to cover the cost of rebuilding the home they bought on the cheap decades ago.
Despite the widespread devastation, many locals were optimistic about the community rising from the ashes, sharing tales of narrow escapes and memories of the decades they spent growing up with neighbors who were now sharing in the disaster.
“There are rows of us who went to school together,” Young said, pointing to a vast expanse of burned foundations.
Michael McCarthy, 68, a writer in Los Angeles, said his house was saved by a neighbor who risked his life by staying in the house after everyone fled, using a hose to spray water on the roofs of their homes.
“I know this community will be rebuilt,” said McCarthy, who is scheduled to retire this year. “Everyone knows everyone here, everyone loves everyone.”
“Well, I've got a new job now, which is putting it all back together and doing whatever I can for the neighborhood.”
