Eaton Fire - One Year On

It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since our Altadena/Pasadena community experienced the sucker punch of the Eaton Fire, taking precious lives and obliterating so many of the structures and contents of homes, businesses, and schools. The loss of those physical structures led to the immediate dissolution of the daily routines of our lives: the commutes we knew like the backs of our hands, our favorite dog walk routes, waving at familiar friends and neighbors, the secure feeling of having our “home base”, for ourselves, our families, and our favorite and most meaningful possessions. When forcibly separated from all of it, without warning, many of us felt completely overwhelmed and disoriented in our lives.

The sense of disorientation might be less severe now than it was as we’ve adjusted to the reality of what happened, but for many, the sense of being trapped in a bad dream continues. So many fire victims find their marriages strained or broken, noticing ongoing difficulty concentrating at work or school, substance abuse problems that have worsened or re-emerged. Many are still struggling with the painful and onerous time suck of documenting every physical possession for insurance inventories. The one year mark is certainly a milestone - there is a sense of: “We made it this long - Phew”.  And then, we keep going, adjusting to our new lives, whether that means taking more steps toward rebuilding a home, awaiting further remediation, or getting used to a new existence away from the place we called home. 

Of course, there is also hope. The experience of neighbors banding together to help each other in myriad ways has been moving. More and more homeowners have made progress on rebuilds and can look forward to 2026 or 2027 move in dates. Many have been able to move back into remediated homes. It’s too soon for some, but others may be experiencing post traumatic growth. For example, maybe the fire was a huge factor that pushed you to explore a new life path that ended up being beneficial or even beautiful. Witnessing personal and collective resilience may feel fortifying. Often, creativity blooms from the soil of loss. 

Whether you identify more with the “ongoing nightmare” or “post-traumatic growth” camp (or both), I think most would agree this year was transformational, and hopefully, a once in a lifetime experience. If you feel like you’re still off, still not OK, or maybe even feel worse than you felt a year ago - you’re not at all alone. It is normal for grief to ebb and flow over the years ahead after such a destabilizing experience. Sometimes we may feel fine for days at a time, only to be triggered unexpectedly and powerfully. New grief experiences can trigger old ones, resulting in emotional overwhelm.

If you’re looking for more community support, check out the Eaton Fire Collaborative - https://www.eatonfirecollaborative.org/ or in person at 540 W Woodbury Rd, Altadena. The Altadena Recovery Calendar, https://altadenacalendar.org, has a current calendar of resources including vetted and free mental health offerings like support groups, somatic healing, and integrative wellness activities. The amount of people navigating life after the Eaton fire is both devastating and beneficial in terms of support and recovery, in that so many people now speak the same “fire” language. Interacting with other people who are going through the same thing can feel comforting and validating. May 2026 bring more healing and light to you and your community.