What has life been like for the Eaton Fire survivors since the devastating fire? This series invites survivors to share their stories, their challenges, resilience, and hopes for the future.
~ The Editorial Team
Plans for the new house. The painting of the old house was gifted by Janessa Travis (Photo – Felita Kealing)
It has been nine months since our home was destroyed in the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
By Felita Kealing
I practice saying our home was destroyed rather than I lost my home, because I clearly remember where I left it, as I locked the front door for the last time. I didn’t lose it. It’s gone, and it was no fault of mine. But yes, we will rebuild.
Looking Back
In these nine months, I’ve learned a plethora of things. But it’s important to look back at where we were this time last year, October 2024.
At that point, we were working with a contractor on energy efficiency upgrades for our home. We removed carpet from three areas, uncovering the beautiful original 100-year-old oak hardwood floors. We upgraded the electrical panel, purchased and installed a new water softener system, and a new water heater. We were researching solar panels and central air options.
We also replaced the last 15 of our 32 windows, repurposed rooms, decluttered, donated, and bought new furniture. Three bedrooms had been freshly painted. In the middle of it all, we decided to include a bathroom remodel. The tiling and glazing were completed on January 7, 2025, and devoured by the fire the next morning.
After the Fire
The night of the fire, we stayed with in-laws for three nights. On the third day, my husband’s job graciously offered us corporate housing in Costa Mesa. It was the perfect situation for our family, no lease to sign, no payment obligation, no need to move until we found long-term housing. We initially thought the offer was for a week, but soon learned we could stay as long as needed.
Costa Mesa is far from Altadena, but we were safe. We had each other, food, shelter, our laptops, Wi-Fi, and all the basic comforts of home. We were blessed.
It quickly became our command center. From there, we researched, mourned, reflected, were consoled, and began planning.
January was overwhelming, filled with thinking, processing, and learning how to filter through endless information, speculation, and well-meaning giveaways.
After 51 days in Costa Mesa, we found and moved into long-term housing in Brea. It’s 25 miles closer to Altadena, but still 35 miles from home.
Moving Forward
Brea is now our home base. Our next move is back to our parcel in Altadena, into our rebuilt house.
Our design and floor plans were completed in August. As of this writing, the civil engineer has finalized the diagrams, and we’re ready to submit our plans to the county. It’s been a steady pace with constant forward motion toward our shared goal.
Our insurance agent, insurance company, and adjuster have been stellar throughout this process. We’ve had conversations, made inquiries, asked countless questions, and sat in on conference calls. We’ve attended meetings, read through documentation, and—most importantly—continued living our lives: focused, but not consumed by the situation.
What We’ve Gained
In these past nine months, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge. I’ve practiced patience and learned to manage my expectations realistically.
We’re honest about our losses, but we’re resilient in our move forward.
Our community, our family, our peers—people in general—have been gracious, giving, accommodating, and informative. At times, it’s been simply overwhelming.
But we have each other.
We have our goals set.
And we are more than ready to have our plans reviewed, approved, and to finally break ground on our new home.
Are you an Eaton Fire survivor?
We invite you to share your story, where you are now, what you’ve overcome, and what lies ahead. Your experience can inspire others and help our community heal and rebuild together. Please leave a comment below with your name, email, and a brief description of what you’d like to share.
Your comment will be reviewed privately by our team and will not be published. If your story is selected, we’ll reach out to you directly.
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