I did not expect this.
I’m a native Californian who spent most of my life in Altadena. I have lived through disasters, but never anything like this.
So much of my life is gone. People, places, homes, businesses, schools, churches, parks, gone.
The upper part of Highland Avenue gone.
I’ve been evacuated. Our house, uncertain.
Government that cares about us will help us get through this.
We hold on to each other.

[Editor’s Note: My family has lived in Altadena for 55 years. So many businesses, homes, parks, museums, and landmarks have been destroyed. Altadena is an unincorporated area (not a city), served by Los Angeles County resources, the Pasadena school district, County Sheriff Substation (now destroyed), County Fire Department (now destroyed), and artesian springs with gravity-fed water system. The community of 43,000 people in a roughly 4 mile by 4 mile area has always had a strong identity, separate from Pasadena and Los Angeles (though we still love our neighbors in nearby cities). Altadena has been home to many famous scientists like Richard Feynman, Charles Richter, Ellery Hale, Linus Pauling, William Pickering, and more. The Smothers Brothers lived here for a time, as did the Marx Brothers. Zane Grey lived here, as did Octavia Butler. Johnny Otis. Marni Nixon. Owen Brown, Claude Akins, Alice Walker. The famous Craftsman-style houses are abundant here, and the brothers Greene (of Gamble House fame) lived and built here, as did many other famous architects. So many wonderful people have ties here. JPL and Mount Wilson are built on the mountain peaks and arroyos that define the Altadena border, and Altadena enjoys a close relationship with nature and the mountains, sitting at 1,300 feet above sea-level and supporting many native plant species throughout its neighborhoods. Altadena is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse communities in the United States, and it has always been deeply aware of addressing issues around inequality. A strong community, a strong sense of place. Though much has burned, there are some notable survivors, including the beloved main library on Christmas Tree Lane, the old Mount Lowe Railway powerhouse building on Lake Avenue, historic houses and buildings that the world has seen in movies and television (Leslie Knope’s house is just a few doors down from Dad’s house, and it survived), the Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery survived (click the link to see the stunning photos and read some history!), and so much more. Already some of our business owners (like Fox’s Restaurant) have said they fully intend to rebuild and re-open, and I know the community will pull together to help everyone recover from this disaster. Right now, though, we all need time to grieve, to process so much loss, and to find our way back to each other and begin healing.]