Far from the riches of Hollywood, survivors of the Los Angeles fires feel forgotten Reuters

By Joe Brock

ALTADENA, Calif. (Reuters) – In the tight-knit Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, where rows of neat bungalows once nestled in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, now lie smoldering rubble and the skeletons of burnt-out cars.

While the wildfires that ravaged celebrity neighborhoods near Malibu captured the world’s attention, flames of similar size in the Eaton (NYSE:) Canyon, north of Los Angeles, devastated Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community.

Black and Hispanic families have lived in Altadena for generations, and the suburb is also popular with younger artists and engineers who work at the nearby NASA rocket lab, drawn to the small-town feel and access to nature.

Many residents told Reuters they were concerned that government funding would be directed towards high-profile areas popular with A-Listers, while insurance companies could undercut less affluent households who lack the financial means to contest fire claims.

“They’re not going to give you the value of your house … if they do, you really have to fight for it,” said Kay Young, 63, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at the smoking ruins, the remains of the home that had been in her family for generations.

Inez Moore, 40, whose family home in Altadena was destroyed by fire, said communities like hers are likely to suffer more financially than wealthier suburbs because many people lack the resources or experience to navigate complex bureaucratic systems.

“You’re going to have some people who don’t get what they deserve and some who may get more than they actually need,” said Moore, a lecturer at California State University.

Moore, Young and several other residents told Reuters they did not see any fire engines in Altadena early Wednesday morning as they fled flames engulfing their community, fueling anger that their neighborhood was not a priority.

“We didn’t get help here. I don’t know where everyone was,” said Jocelyn Tavares, 32, as her sister and daughter dug through the smoking remains of a life turned upside down — a child’s bicycle half-melted, a lone cup miraculously saved from the flames.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department did not respond to a request for comment about the residents’ complaints.

RENEW

Since breaking out Tuesday night, the Eaton fire has killed at least five people and grown to 13,690 acres as of Thursday night, consuming much of the northern half of Altadena, an unincorporated community of about 40,000 people.

Back in 1960, Altadena was almost completely white. As new freeways built in urban renewal projects separated Los Angeles neighborhoods, African-American families began buying homes in what had been a relatively affordable community for decades.

Residents told Reuters they paid about $50,000 for a three-bedroom house in Altadena in the 1970s. The same house would cost more than a million dollars today.

By 1990, almost 40% of the population were 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 concern that the area could become more gentrified if families who have lived here for generations are unable to secure insurance payments to cover the cost of rebuilding the home they bought cheaply decades ago.

Despite the widespread wreckage, many locals were optimistic about the community rising from the ashes, sharing stories of narrow escapes and memories of decades spent growing up alongside neighbors who now shared in the disaster.

“There’s a line of us that went to school together,” Young said, pointing to a vast stretch of scorched foundations.

Michael McCarthy, 68, a Los Angeles city clerk, said his home was saved by a neighbor who risked his life by staying after everyone else had fled, using a hose to spray water on their roofs.

“I know this community is going to rebuild, everybody knows everybody here, everybody loves everybody,” said McCarthy, who is set to retire this year.

“Well, now I’ve got a new job, which is to put this all back together and do what I can for the neighborhood.”