By Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor
The epic California wildfires continue to rage, ravaging communities and destroying a record number of structures in Los Angeles County. But amid stories of charred multi-million-dollar homes and displacement of Hollywood royalty, the fiery destruction of Altadena, Calif., is a tragedy America can’t afford to ignore.
Structures are still burning in Altadena as of Jan. 12, as the Eaton fire is only 27 percent contained, according to estimates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). More than 14,000 acres have been destroyed, 7,000 structures (including automobiles) incinerated and 11 have died. Twelve of the total 16 persons reported missing, according to the latest Los Angeles County Sheriff’s report, are from Altadena. (Figures are updated regularly.)
Altadena is the state’s first Black middle-class community. Black families started settling in the unincorporated enclave at the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains during the Great Migration of the 1960s, offering a rare refuge from redlining, the practice of blocking African Americans from accessing mortgages. Now, more than 75 percent of Altadena’s 7,000-plus Black residents own their homes, compared to the national percentage of 41.7 percent, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Deborah Williams Hedges, one of many Black residents whose family has lived in Altadena for more than a generation, evacuated safely, but her home is one of the 7,000 structures reduced to ashes.
“The Eaton/Altadena fire is a devastating blow to us. Our house burned completely to the ground. Our three, long-time neighbors’ houses also burned to the ground. Our family has lived in Altadena for about 30 years. We raised our children there, and we loved our home,” Hedges said as she prepared to extend her stay with family members in an area of the county that was not affected by the wildfires.
Hedges discovered her home was lost two days after the fire began on Jan. 7. All residents of Altadena are under evacuation orders, and Hedges said she has not been told when she can return to her home. The California National Guard has been deployed to Altadena to initiate a security detail alongside local law enforcement after Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna raised concerns about looting. About 25 people in the Eaton Fire area have been arrested so far.
“The looting in our neighborhood appeared minimal, with the police and military guard cordoning off the entire area and consistently monitoring the neighborhoods for looters and vandals,” Hedges said. “I must admit, this was one time I felt relieved and reassured by the police and military presence, who were quite tactful and compassionate.”
Other residents that have lost property in Altadena are relieved that they and their families are safe yet are asking more pointed questions.
Jerome Blackwood ‘s house is still standing and liveable with minor fire damage. Blackwood said a neighbor, who refused to evacuate, relayed to him via cell phone how one house after another caught fire in their neighborhood.
When that neighbor said, “Man, it’s coming close to your backyard,” Blackwood, who evacuated with his family on Jan. 7, said he jumped back in his car and headed straight to his house. Streets to his neighborhood were blocked off so he got out of his car and walked a mile down the road to his home.
“My neighbor being still there in the community was amazing. He just kept calling. Then he showed me actual footage of the fire through his phone, and I was on my way,” said Blackwood.
“This is my childhood home. I knew I had to go and hold on to it,” Blackwood said. His two adult children accompanied him and the three of them worked with the county fire department to save the family home.
But homes on both sides of Blackwood’s, along with his two rental homes, did not survive the flames. “Right now, there are a lot of people mad and pissed off. More than 70 percent of my community is burnt to the ground. I feel bad there were not enough firefighters to save everyone’s home. Where were all the fire fighters?” Blackwood asked.
Now that the fire is more contained, he said people are starting to ask when residents will be able to come back to see what is left of their homes and communities.
“This is just heart wrenching. With the National Guard up there, residents can’t get in to see their own homes. If all these homes are burnt to the ground, how can there be that much looting going on?” he queried.
“For the homes that are still standing, they should give people a chance to get their stuff. People who have lost their homes deserve the right to return and see for themselves,” Blackwood said.
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