In the middle of the night, Karen Myles, 66, was suddenly woken from her sleep. She was in her pajamas when she stepped outside her home in Altadena, California, and saw a terrible sight: big, bright flames from the fire burning the trees around her. There were also live electric wires sparking on the street. Her son, who had woken her up, helped guide her and her family safely away from the fire.
The fire destroyed her whole neighborhood this month, and Karen says she won’t be going back. She has lived in her home for over 40 years, but after losing everything, she decided, “I’m not going to rebuild. I’m going to fly away somewhere nice, maybe Colorado.”
In another part of Los Angeles, Sonia and James Cummings, who had bought their home in Pacific Palisades in 1987, lost everything in the fire too. They had spent years making the house perfect. Now, they are left with a destroyed home and a tough decision. James, 77, said, “We planned to stay here forever, but now it’s gone.” Sonia added, “I spent two years building our dream home. I don’t want to do that again.”
Many people like Karen and the Cummings are having a hard time deciding if they should rebuild their homes after one of California’s worst fires ever. The fire has caused huge damage, destroying more than 10,000 homes, killing about 24 people, and leaving people facing difficult choices.
The Problems People Face
One of the biggest problems for people is the thick, dangerous ash that covers the destroyed neighborhoods. This ash is like tiny, harmful dust that can get into your lungs and cause health problems. The Los Angeles County Health Department warned that it’s not just dirt—it’s something to be very careful about.
To help homeowners, Mark Pestrella, who works for Los Angeles County Public Works, said they will start a free program to help clean up the toxic waste and ash. The county promises to get rid of the dangerous materials and help clear the land so that people can start rebuilding.
But even with these plans in place, many people are worried it won’t be quick or easy to rebuild.
Shawna Dawson-Beer, 50, is another Altadena resident whose home was destroyed in the fire. She had spent years making her house perfect and had planned to live there forever. But when she returned to see the damage, she said, “Our homes are gone. We don’t know when the cleanup will be done or if it will be done correctly. And even if we rebuild, it won’t be the same. The community we had is gone, and we’re all scattered.”
Her husband, Marcus Beer, 54, is also worried. They had good insurance, but he is now wondering if they’ll be able to get insurance again since they live in a burned area.
Charlotte Dewaele, 48, was lucky—her home survived the fire because her husband stayed behind to protect it. But she wonders if she should move back into her rental home or if it’s safe to live there with all the construction and dangerous chemicals in the air. She’s worried about whether her family will be okay living in such a destroyed area.
Some homeowners also fear they won’t get enough money from their insurance to cover the high cost of rebuilding. Real estate broker Adam Jaret, 49, says that this might give big developers the chance to come in and buy up the land, which could change the area forever.
The Struggle to Stay or Leave
Even though many people are thinking about leaving, it’s hard to let go of a place you’ve called home for so long. Shawna Dawson-Beer and her husband were about to sign a lease on a new house far away to give them time to think. But Shawna said, “I couldn’t do it. The thought of leaving everything I know made me panic.”
