ALTADENA, California — A neighborhood in Altadena, a city north of Pasadena, was being watched over by Arizona firemen. In the wake of the Eaton Fire, people from the past and the present lived together.
Capt. Shaun Jones of Central Arizona Fire and Medical said on Sunday, “We’re trying to button up the area as best as possible before anything else before that wind comes in.” He was talking about the risk of more fires starting because of Santa Ana winds expected early this week.
As of Jan. 7, 100 people from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management were sent to Southern California to help fight wildfires, according to a spokeswoman. A second Arizona agency was sent to Altadena, and two more were sent to the Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests, in addition to Central Arizona Fire, Davila said on Sunday.
Other firemen that were seen working in the neighborhoods of northern Altadena were also from California.
On residential streets, houses that were destroyed by the fire that came down from the mountain last week were mixed with those that were spared. Soot was all over the playsets for kids, and the pools looked like black ponds. On most homes, the only thing that was still there were grayed-out chimneys.
Jones told us that Central Arizona Fire had sent five trucks and a water tank to the spot to do tactical patrols and keep the fire from starting up again. The crew got to Altadena early Wednesday morning to help put out the fire.
Jones said that buildings that were on fire and things close to burn spots were doused with water and sometimes a mixture of water and foam.
Most of the homes in Altadena that were south of West Loma Alta Drive and north of West Altadena Drive between Lincoln and Fifth Oaks streets were destroyed by the fire.
The Altadena United Methodist Church was one of the places where people used to meet before the fire. Its small outdoor sign still showed the time of the service on Sunday.
CalFire says that as of Sunday night, 11 people had died in the Eaton Fire, 5 firemen had been hurt, and 1,422 buildings had been destroyed and 212 had been damaged.
Jones had never seen such a large amount of damage in his work. Jones said, “This breaks my heart.”
On one devastated street, a yellow house that didn’t seem to have been damaged stood out. It was possible to see a squirrel running in front of the white-picket-fence house. There was a fully stocked Little Free Library post by the street.
The state of the neighborhood seemed to be summed up by a small, older Ford pickup. The front half of the white truck was burned brown by the flames, but the back was unharmed.
Jones felt bad about the homes that were destroyed by the fire, but he also thought about the ones that firemen had been able to save. Jones ran into a thankful homeowner on Wednesday, and that homeowner quickly went back to his own home.
Jones said, “It was nice to see him.” “That one “thank you” was certainly worth it.”
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