The loss of a home to a wildfire is heartbreaking on its own, but losing the ashes of a loved one in that destruction can feel even more overwhelming. Archeologists using trained dogs have helped hundreds of families recover ashes seemingly lost forever in a pile of rubble. Reporter David Wharton recently watched how this remarkable process played out in Altadena after the Eaton Fire. 

Wharton explained how the archeologists with the Alta Heritage Foundation help recover remains for fire victims, with the help of a dog named Quincy.

"It turns out that dogs can be trained to smell a much fainter human scent, even from a human that's been cremated," he said. "And so Quincy is one of these dogs, and she knows exactly what she's there for. She's wagging her tail because she knows she's going to get a reward at the end. They start out by asking the homeowners about where in all this wreckage was the urn before. And then they let Quincy loose. They don't really give Quincy any directions because there's human scent all over this burned-out house. So Quincy has to survey the entire area and then decide where the scent is strongest. And then when she gets that spot, all of a sudden she lays down. And that's known as an alert. And that tells them where to start digging."

Archeologists then start digging around the area Quincy has flagged. Usually, they find the remains in a couple of hours. 

"Human ashes tend to be a little bit lighter in color. They're grittier, like sand. They are very densely clumped," said Wharton. "So even though there's no more [container], in this case, it was a wooden box. Even though that's burned away, they kind of still stay in that shape."

Altadena resident Angel Balthazar lost her beloved aunt's urn in the Eaton Fire. The Alta Heritage Foundation helped her find it. Wharton shared about Balthazar's reaction.

"Even though they kind of knew that this was a reputable organization, they still didn't believe it could happe," said Wharton. "But they were so relieved. They end up scooping Aunt Cecilia into these baggies and putting her in a little plastic bag and Angel, talking to us out in the street, is just holding Aunt Cecilia the whole time giving her a squeeze every once while... And it was just kind of joy in the middle of a lot of heartache."

Wharton explained that the Alta Heritage Foundation will be working in the LA burn areas for the next six months or so. To enlist their services, you can visit their website or inquire with local fire officials. 

Click the arrow above to watch the full interview.

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