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- Community coalition Dena Rebuild hosted “Somebody I Love Lives in L.A.,” an art therapy event for kids and teens in Altadena and Pasadena.
- Attendees reflected on rebuilding their community, their biggest concerns and what’s giving them hope.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, at an art therapy event at Pasadena City Church, 11-year-old Eleanor Norman sat at a table and dipped her brush into the watercolors in front of her to paint a picture: a bright red phoenix flying over a pink sunset.
In some ways, the phoenix — a mythical creature often associated with strength and rebirth — was symbolic of what she was experiencing: Her Altadena home, where her family lived for nearly a decade, was damaged in the Eaton fire, which displaced thousands of residents and destroyed more than 9,400 structures. The family is currently staying with Eleanor’s great-grandmother in San Marino.
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Eleanor and her father were among dozens of families who attended the event called “Somebody I Love Lives in L.A.,” which was hosted by Dena Rebuild, a community coalition run by three women with deep roots in Pasadena. As feel-good songs like Alicia Myers’ “I Want to Thank You” played over the speakers inside the dome-shaped church, children ranging from infants to teenagers partook in a day of art activities including painting, crochet and bead making. They could also get free haircuts, facials, experience a petting zoo and shop the free donation center filled with toys, books, clothing and snacks.
Zaria Smith, 27, of Dena Rebuild and her fellow organizers wanted to host the event in order to give kids and their parents a mental break.
“A lot of times when things like this happen, you just think about the necessities,” Smith said. “But you don’t think about how the kids’ lives got turned upside down. Some of them don’t even register what’s going on. They just know one day they are able to go home and the next day they are living in a hotel.”
Free child care is bringing a sense of safety and normalcy to kids impacted by the L.A. fires, especially for those whose schools burned down.
As the community starts to grapple with how to rebuild, we wanted to hear from young people. Attendees, ranging from 11 to 18, shared with us how their lives have changed, what they are worried about and what’s keeping them optimistic about the future.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Anala Walker, 11, and Naila Walker, 13, of Altadena
How was your family impacted by the Eaton fire?
Naila: The houses surrounding our house were on fire, so now our house is not livable. But we do have all of our stuff, which is a big blessing. We still got to get all of our stuff and move.
Anala: I was in shock when we went back home because we were told that our house wasn’t there, and I was excited because I knew I was going to get all my stuff back.
Naila: Yeah, same because we were told that our whole neighborhood was gone, but when we saw it, it was like a moment of relief.
For outsiders who don’t understand the gravity of this tragedy, what do you wish they knew?
Naila: Everyone’s really close with each other, so when one person is impacted by the fire, a lot of other people are too. The community is just so amazing and supportive. I think that the community itself hasn’t changed, and it’s gotten better because people started helping others. So I think it’s only the houses [that changed], but not the relationships.
Has your life changed?
Naila: Not that much. Like we moved, but we’re still going to the same school and we weren’t hurt or harmed in any way. So honestly, our life has only changed from our setting, not really, like, our relations with people.
What are you most worried about?
Anala: My friends because two of them lost their houses. I’ve seen them, but they don’t really talk about it.
Naila: Probably just how long it’s going to take to rebuild because I’ve seen it and there’s a lot of damage. I feel like it’s going to take a long time.
What’s been making you smile these days?
Anala: We’ve just been staying with family and staying together a lot and having fun.
Naila: Being blessed because there’s just so many people who’ve helped us, and we have our house, and that’s just a humongous blessing.
Is there anything you’d like to tell your community?
Anala: Stay strong, think about the future and keep focusing on your dreams.
Naila: Stay strong and instead of thinking about everything bad that happened, count your blessings and just be grateful for what you still do have.
Ellis Smith-Clopton, 15, of Pasadena
How was your family impacted by the Eaton fire?
My home is OK, but it has smoke damage, and we had to evacuate for a week. Some of my family lost their homes. You know, it’s bad on all of our family, because that’s all of our friends, all of our relatives, all the people we grew up with, the city that we grew up in.
For outsiders who don’t understand the gravity of this tragedy, what do you wish they knew?
People’s lives changed. Everybody. All of my teachers, many of the people who care about me — because I go to school in Altadena — lost their homes. Like my history teacher, he’s the best dude in the world and he lost his home for no reason, so it hurts to see it. Our community is gone.
How has your life changed?
Since the fires, I think I have more gratitude towards other people. I think I can feel more for other people. I’m just more sympathetic for everybody around me, especially the people who lost their homes because everybody around here lost something. It doesn’t matter what it is, everybody around here lost something.
What are you most worried about?
The rebuild of our community in Altadena. If they try to change it and change the cultural background of it. It’s a historically Black neighborhood, historically Black community, culture, everything and if they try to change it, that’s what I’m worried about.
What’s been making you smile these days?
Just doing what I do. I like to make music. I make beats. I can play the guitar and bass a little bit — they go hand in hand. I play the keyboard. I do anything to help my music. When we evacuated, I took my equipment with me. That was a priority. I had to bring my computer and my MIDI keyboard. I like to spend time with my family, so that’s what I’ve been up to because we haven’t been in school for the past three weeks. We’ve only had two days of school just last Thursday and Friday.
Kids have faced hasty evacuations and lost homes in the face of the L.A. wildfires. Experts share how parents can best help them through the traumatic event.
Eleanor Norman, 11, of Altadena
How was your family impacted by the Eaton fire?
We live at the bottom of the mountain, so at first we didn’t think the fire would come to our area because it would either have to spread quickly and be really strong — and it did. So out of like 42 houses in our area, our house was [one of] maybe seven or eight that survived. Our garage burned down, but the house survived. My parents were there with my uncle fighting fires all day because there were no firemen there. I’m really proud of them. So I mean, it’s bad, it was scary but I just tried to think about the good things. Hey, my house was still there.
How has your life changed?
Yes, in a lot of different ways. I mean, like, emotionally, I feel way more on edge, but I’m living at my great-grandma’s house right now with my family. I miss a lot of my things because I kind of just got my own room like maybe six months before. I actually just finished decorating and putting up all my lights maybe two days before the fire. So I’m kind of sad that I can’t live there anymore. Well, at least for a very long time.
What are you most worried about?
I really hope my neighbors who lost their homes rebuild because I want to have that community again.
What’s been making you smile these days?
A lot of different things because I smile very easily, but seeing my family a lot. I actually spent like three days at my aunt’s house before we got settled at my great-grandma’s house. But I don’t know, a bunch of things, especially mini things because I love mini things like my little, mini foods.
Jacobi Law, 16, of Pasadena
How was your family impacted by the Eaton fire?
Thank God my family that I live with — my mom, sister, pops — were all good. We just had to evacuate to downtown L.A., not too far, but unfortunately my great-grandparents lost their house and that’s basically my childhood. They evacuated, but not with us. They are safe. When I call them, they say they are fine but I know deep down it hurts to lose your home.
What will you miss most?
Not an item, but definitely the basement. It was a room of just stuff and all my cousins [and I] would play hide and seek in there or tag or get the Nerf guns and have a shoot-out in the backyard.
For outsiders who can’t understand the gravity of this tragedy, what do you want them to know?
Don’t take anything for granted. Life is unexpected at times, so you just take it day by day. Don’t say, “Oh, I’m gonna have this forever” because, you know, it might be gone the next second, next hour, whenever.
How has your life changed?
It hasn’t really changed because I’m still on my same workout regimen. I go to the gym. I go to the football field. I still do all of that, just the only thing that has changed is my house. We just went back to school on Thursday.
What are you most worried about?
Really my football season because I’m thinking about football and I’m trying to make it to college one day. So I’m trying to put the work
and get better every single day.
What’s been making you smile these days?
Quality time with my family. We’re really just here spending time together more than we ever have.
Is there anything you’d like to tell your community?
We gon’ stick together. We gon’ get through this. We gon’ build it from the ground up if we have to and restore our community.
Yaretzi Martinez, 13, of Pasadena
How was your family impacted by the Eaton fire?
My dad was [in Pasadena while] my siblings, my mom and I were on vacation. I didn’t know [about the fires] until my friend told me and she started sending me videos. I got really emotional because I feel bad for everybody that was affected by the fire. [My aunt and] some of my friends lost their homes. [My family’s home was OK.]
For outsiders who don’t understand the gravity of this tragedy, what do you wish they knew?
It was really scary because the wind was too hard and the fire was out of control.
What are you most worried about?
I’m just worried about my aunt because she lost her house to the fire. She has three kids.
What’s been making you smile these days?
My friends. They’ve just been there with me.
Keyon Millis, 18, of Arcadia
How was your family impacted by the Eaton fire?
My auntie’s house wasn’t burned down — she lives in Altadena — but her garage and back house was. My grandfather lives in Pasadena. Nothing got burned down, but because he’s old, the ashes and the air quality was really bad for him. He really couldn’t go outside. They also sent an [alert] about the water, so he couldn’t really use it. And my uncle’s house in Altadena was completely burned down. Luckily, he was out of state when it happened, so he wasn’t injured.
What will you miss most about their homes?
I have memories of being at my aunt’s house. After practice, I would go chill there, sometimes spend a night. I would just be with my cousins, just at the house, chilling. So now that I know that, like the back house and some of the backyard is gone, that’s just really crazy to me, because I used to be there a lot.
For outsiders who can’t understand the gravity of this tragedy, what do you want them to know?
In reality, it’s a tragedy because the city that we all grew up in is almost completely gone.
What are you most worried about?
For all of the people that were in Altadena [who] lost their house, how will they get it back? Or how will they rebuild it and not [have] someone else from the outside come and buy it back and now it’s theirs?
What’s been making you smile these days?
That my family is still there and they’re still operating. So even though we lost the house, we didn’t lose the actual person.
Is there anything you’d like to tell your community?
We are here and helping and donating and doing what we can to get back to where the city once was.
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