ALTADENA, Calif. — It’s been three months since the LA wildfires devastated parts of Southern California, and some residents who lost their homes are eager to rebuild.
Jonathan Weedman and his husband, Raymundo Baltazar, lived in their Altadena home for 11 years. They’ve spent the past three months living in an apartment far away from there, and are still coping with the hardships of losing their beloved house in the Eaton Fire.
“The last few months have just been a rollercoaster,” Weedman said. “Up and down, back and forth, feeling optimistic and hopeful, and then just feeling horrible about what happened.”
The couple has tried to salvage whatever they can from the wreckage, hoping they’ll have some reminders of the home they lost, but some things that were lost were priceless.
“I know that earthly remains of my father are there,” Weedman said. “I wish there was some way I could have salvaged them.”
Weedman and Baltazar are noticing some of the nature on the property slowly come back to life. A few of the trees that surrounded the home were thought to be damaged beyond repair, but are beginning to show that they could recover.
“Just the idea they were able to withstand all that fire and that heat, and now we can see little sprouts of new life,” Baltazar said. “Seeing that not only gives you hope, it makes you think things are going to be OK.”
The LA County Board of Supervisors said no permits to rebuild homes that were lost in the Eaton Fire have been approved, but a recent vote passed a new rule that would create a permitting authority to speed up the process. Weedman isn’t happy with the slow movement when it comes to rebuilding plans, but has his goal already set.
“Our home, and frankly our expectation, is that we’re going to be ready to put a shovel in the ground this summer,” he said. “My plan is for us to walk in the front door of our house July 1, 2026.”
There could be some challenges with moving back to the same property that was devastated by the fire.
“The concern is gonna be the trauma. It’s still manifesting itself,” Baltazar said. “It’s going to be long term, not only physically, mentally, but right now I feel very optimistic, but there’s day’s that it’s not going well.”
Dr. Carissa Gustafson is a clinical psychologist with an office nearby in Pasadena. She said for those residents who lost their homes in the fire, taking care of their mental health and accepting the loss is important as the community looks to rebuild and reunite.
“It’s really important that people are open to experiencing feelings of loss as a part of grieving, and as a part of healing,” she said. “And that you’re going to have to confront those feelings either way.”
While Weedman and Baltazar continue to deal with the traumatic experience of losing their longtime home, they’re thankful they have each other.
“You need a partner, and I have a very good partner to do this with,” Baltazar said. “It’s been really hard, it’s been difficult, again, it’s not unique to us, but we’re getting through it.”
