'Everybody around here lost something': How teens are coping after the Eaton fire

Eleanor Norman, 11, and her begetter Nick be “Somebody I Love Lives successful L.A.”

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

On a caller Saturday afternoon, astatine an creation therapy lawsuit astatine Pasadena City Church, 11-year-old Eleanor Norman sat astatine a array and dipped her brushwood into the watercolors successful beforehand of her to overgarment a picture: a agleam reddish phoenix flying implicit a pinkish sunset.

In immoderate ways, the phoenix — a mythical carnal often associated with spot and rebirth — was symbolic of what she was experiencing: Her Altadena home, wherever her household lived for astir a decade, was damaged successful the Eaton fire, which displaced thousands of residents and destroyed much than 9,400 structures. The household is presently staying with Eleanor’s great-grandmother successful San Marino.

Eleanor and her begetter were among dozens of families who attended the lawsuit called “Somebody I Love Lives successful L.A.,” which was hosted by Dena Rebuild, a assemblage conjugation tally by 3 women with heavy roots successful Pasadena, and collaborators And Still We Ride and GirlsOnly. As feel-good songs similar Alicia Myers’ “I Want to Thank You” played implicit the speakers wrong the dome-shaped church, children ranging from infants to teenagers partook successful a time of creation activities including painting, crochet and bead making. They could besides get escaped haircuts, facials, acquisition a petting zoo and store the escaped donation halfway filled with toys, books, covering and snacks.

Zaria Smith, 27, of Dena Rebuild and her chap organizers wanted to big the lawsuit successful bid to springiness kids and their parents a intelligence break.

“A batch of times erstwhile things similar this happen, you conscionable deliberation astir the necessities,” Smith said. “But you don’t deliberation astir however the kids’ lives got turned upside down. Some of them don’t adjacent registry what’s going on. They conscionable cognize 1 time they are capable to spell location and the adjacent time they are surviving successful a hotel.”

Tyler Faye, from left, Zaria Smith and Karimah Clipps are founders of Dena Rebuild.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

As the assemblage starts to grapple with however to rebuild, we wanted to perceive from young people. Attendees, ranging from 11 to 18, shared with america however their lives person changed, what they are disquieted astir and what’s keeping them optimistic astir the future.

Responses person been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

From left, sisters Anala Walker, 11, and Naila Walker, 13, were amazed erstwhile their Altadena location was inactive lasting aft the Eaton fire, but it is presently unhabitable.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Anala Walker, 11, and Naila Walker, 13, of Altadena

How was your household impacted by the Eaton fire?

Naila: The houses surrounding our location were connected fire, truthful present our location is not livable. But we bash person each of our stuff, which is simply a large blessing. We inactive got to get each of our worldly and move.

Anala: I was successful daze erstwhile we went backmost location due to the fact that we were told that our location wasn’t there, and I was excited due to the fact that I knew I was going to get each my worldly back.

Naila: Yeah, aforesaid due to the fact that we were told that our full vicinity was gone, but erstwhile we saw it, it was similar a infinitesimal of relief.

For outsiders who don’t recognize the gravity of this tragedy, what bash you privation they knew?

Naila: Everyone’s truly adjacent with each other, truthful erstwhile 1 idiosyncratic is impacted by the fire, a batch of different radical are too. The assemblage is conscionable truthful astonishing and supportive. I deliberation that the assemblage itself hasn’t changed, and it’s gotten amended due to the fact that radical started helping others. So I deliberation it’s lone the houses [that changed], but not the relationships.

Has your beingness changed?

Naila: Not that much. Like we moved, but we’re inactive going to the aforesaid schoolhouse and we weren’t wounded oregon harmed successful immoderate way. So honestly, our beingness has lone changed from our setting, not really, like, our relations with people.

What are you astir disquieted about?

Anala: My friends due to the fact that 2 of them mislaid their houses. I’ve seen them, but they don’t truly speech astir it.

Naila: Probably conscionable however agelong it’s going to instrumentality to rebuild due to the fact that I’ve seen it and there’s a batch of damage. I consciousness similar it’s going to instrumentality a agelong time.

What’s been making you grin these days?

Anala: We’ve conscionable been staying with household and staying unneurotic a batch and having fun.

Naila: Being blessed due to the fact that there’s conscionable truthful galore radical who’ve helped us, and we person our house, and that’s conscionable a humongous blessing.

Is determination thing you’d similar to archer your community?

Anala: Stay strong, deliberation astir the aboriginal and support focusing connected your dreams.

Naila: Stay beardown and alternatively of reasoning astir everything atrocious that happened, number your blessings and conscionable beryllium grateful for what you inactive bash have.

“Since the fires, I deliberation I person much gratitude towards different people. I deliberation I tin consciousness much for different people,” says Ellis Smith-Clopton, 15, who attended a caller Dena Rebuild event.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Ellis Smith-Clopton, 15, of Pasadena

How was your household impacted by the Eaton fire?

My location is OK, but it has fume damage, and we had to evacuate for a week. Some of my household mislaid their homes. You know, it’s atrocious connected each of our family, due to the fact that that’s each of our friends, each of our relatives, each the radical we grew up with, the metropolis that we grew up in.

For outsiders who don’t recognize the gravity of this tragedy, what bash you privation they knew?

People’s lives changed. Everybody. All of my teachers, galore of the radical who attraction astir maine — due to the fact that I spell to schoolhouse successful Altadena — mislaid their homes. Like my past teacher, he’s the champion dude successful the satellite and helium mislaid his location for nary reason, truthful it hurts to spot it. Our assemblage is gone.

How has your beingness changed?

Since the fires, I deliberation I person much gratitude towards different people. I deliberation I tin consciousness much for different people. I’m conscionable much sympathetic for everybody astir me, particularly the radical who mislaid their homes due to the fact that everybody astir present mislaid something. It doesn’t substance what it is, everybody astir present mislaid something.

What are you astir disquieted about?

The rebuild of our assemblage successful Altadena. If they effort to alteration it and alteration the taste inheritance of it. It’s a historically Black neighborhood, historically Black community, culture, everything and if they effort to alteration it, that’s what I’m disquieted about.

What’s been making you grin these days?

Just doing what I do. I similar to marque music. I marque beats. I tin play the guitar and bass a small spot — they spell manus successful hand. I play the keyboard. I bash thing to assistance my music. When we evacuated, I took my instrumentality with me. That was a priority. I had to bring my machine and my MIDI keyboard. I similar to walk clip with my family, truthful that’s what I’ve been up to due to the fact that we haven’t been successful schoolhouse for the past 3 weeks. We’ve lone had 2 days of schoolhouse conscionable past Thursday and Friday.

“I truly anticipation my neighbors who mislaid their homes rebuild due to the fact that I privation to person that assemblage again,” says Eleanor Norman, 11. Her location was damaged successful the Eaton fire.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Eleanor Norman, 11, of Altadena

How was your household impacted by the Eaton fire?

We unrecorded astatine the bottommost of the mountain, truthful astatine archetypal we didn’t deliberation the occurrence would travel to our country due to the fact that it would either person to dispersed rapidly and beryllium truly beardown — and it did. So retired of similar 42 houses successful our area, our location was [one of] possibly 7 oregon 8 that survived. Our store burned down, but the location survived. My parents were determination with my uncle warring fires each time due to the fact that determination were nary firemen there. I’m truly arrogant of them. So I mean, it’s bad, it was scary but I conscionable tried to deliberation astir the bully things. Hey, my location was inactive there.

How has your beingness changed?

Yes, successful a batch of antithetic ways. I mean, like, emotionally, I consciousness mode much connected edge, but I’m surviving astatine my great-grandma’s location close present with my family. I miss a batch of my things due to the fact that I benignant of conscionable got my ain country similar possibly six months before. I really conscionable finished decorating and putting up each my lights possibly 2 days earlier the fire. So I’m benignant of bittersweet that I can’t unrecorded determination anymore. Well, astatine slightest for a precise agelong time.

What are you astir disquieted about?

I truly anticipation my neighbors who mislaid their homes rebuild due to the fact that I privation to person that assemblage again.

What’s been making you grin these days?

A batch of antithetic things due to the fact that I grin precise easily, but seeing my household a lot. I really spent similar 3 days astatine my aunt’s location earlier we got settled astatine my great-grandma’s house. But I don’t know, a clump of things, particularly mini things due to the fact that I emotion mini things similar my little, mini foods.

“We gon’ instrumentality together,” says Jacobi Law, 16, of Pasadena. “We gon’ get done this. We gon’ physique it from the crushed up if we person to and reconstruct our community.”

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Jacobi Law, 16, of Pasadena

How was your household impacted by the Eaton fire?

Thank God my household that I unrecorded with — my mom, sister, pops — were each good. We conscionable had to evacuate to downtown L.A., not excessively far, but unluckily my great-grandparents mislaid their location and that’s fundamentally my childhood. They evacuated, but not with us. They are safe. When I telephone them, they accidental they are good but I cognize heavy down it hurts to suffer your home.

What volition you miss most?

Not an item, but decidedly the basement. It was a country of conscionable worldly and each my cousins [and I] would play fell and question successful determination oregon tag oregon get the Nerf guns and person a shoot-out successful the backyard.

For outsiders who can’t recognize the gravity of this tragedy, what bash you privation them to know?

Don’t instrumentality thing for granted. Life is unexpected astatine times, truthful you conscionable instrumentality it time by day. Don’t say, “Oh, I’m gonna person this forever” because, you know, it mightiness beryllium gone the adjacent second, adjacent hour, whenever.

How has your beingness changed?

It hasn’t truly changed due to the fact that I’m inactive connected my aforesaid workout regimen. I spell to the gym. I spell to the shot field. I inactive bash each of that, conscionable the lone happening that has changed is my house. We conscionable went backmost to schoolhouse connected Thursday.

What are you astir disquieted about?

Really my shot play due to the fact that I’m reasoning astir shot and I’m trying to marque it to assemblage 1 day. So I’m trying to enactment the enactment
and get amended each azygous day.

What’s been making you grin these days?

Quality clip with my family. We’re truly conscionable present spending clip unneurotic much than we ever have.

Is determination thing you’d similar to archer your community?

We gon’ instrumentality together. We gon’ get done this. We gon’ physique it from the crushed up if we person to and reconstruct our community.

Yaretzi Martinez’s household location survived the Eaton fire, but galore of her household and friends’ homes did not. “I’m conscionable disquieted astir my aunt,” the 13-year-old says.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Yaretzi Martinez, 13, of Pasadena

How was your household impacted by the Eaton fire?

My dada was [in Pasadena while] my siblings, my ma and I were connected vacation. I didn’t cognize [about the fires] until my person told maine and she started sending maine videos. I got truly affectional due to the fact that I consciousness atrocious for everybody that was affected by the fire. [My aunt and] immoderate of my friends mislaid their homes. [My family’s location was OK.]

For outsiders who don’t recognize the gravity of this tragedy, what bash you privation they knew?

It was truly scary due to the fact that the upwind was excessively hard and the occurrence was retired of control.

What are you astir disquieted about?

I’m conscionable disquieted astir my aunt due to the fact that she mislaid her location to the fire. She has 3 kids.

What’s been making you grin these days?

My friends. They’ve conscionable been determination with me.

Keyon Millis, 18, presently lives successful Arcadia, but went to schoolhouse successful Pasadena and spends a batch of clip there. His uncle’s location was destroyed by the Eaton fire.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Keyon Millis, 18, of Arcadia

How was your household impacted by the Eaton fire?

My auntie’s location wasn’t burned down — she lives successful Altadena — but her store and backmost location was. My gramps lives successful Pasadena. Nothing got burned down, but due to the fact that he’s old, the ashes and the aerial prime was truly atrocious for him. He truly couldn’t spell outside. They besides sent an [alert] astir the water, truthful helium couldn’t truly usage it. And my uncle’s location successful Altadena was wholly burned down. Luckily, helium was retired of authorities erstwhile it happened, truthful helium wasn’t injured.

What volition you miss astir astir their homes?

I person memories of being astatine my aunt’s house. After practice, I would spell chill there, sometimes walk a night. I would conscionable beryllium with my cousins, conscionable astatine the house, chilling. So present that I cognize that, similar the backmost location and immoderate of the backyard is gone, that’s conscionable truly brainsick to me, due to the fact that I utilized to beryllium determination a lot.

For outsiders who can’t recognize the gravity of this tragedy, what bash you privation them to know?

In reality, it’s a calamity due to the fact that the metropolis that we each grew up successful is astir wholly gone.

What are you astir disquieted about?

For each of the radical that were successful Altadena [who] mislaid their house, however volition they get it back? Or however volition they rebuild it and not [have] idiosyncratic other from the extracurricular travel and bargain it backmost and present it’s theirs?

What’s been making you grin these days?

That my household is inactive determination and they’re inactive operating. So adjacent though we mislaid the house, we didn’t suffer the existent person.

Is determination thing you’d similar to archer your community?

We are present and helping and donating and doing what we tin to get backmost to wherever the metropolis erstwhile was.