By Joe Brock

ALTADENA, Calif. (Reuters) – In the intimate Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, where rows of neat bungalows once stood in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, sprawling ruins and the skeletons of burned cars are now located.

While the wildfires that destroyed popular neighborhoods near Malibu captured the world’s attention, a similar-sized fire in Eaton (NYSE:) Canyon, north of Los Angeles, is a blight on Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community.

Black and Latino families have lived in Altadena for generations and the suburb is also popular with young artists and engineers working at the nearby NASA rocket lab who are drawn to the small-town vibe and access to nature. .

Many residents told Reuters they were concerned that government resources would be channeled into high-profile areas popular with A-Listers, while insurance companies could replace less wealthy households without Financial means of fighting fire claims.

“They’re not going to give you the value of your house … if they do, you really have to fight for it,” said Kay Young, 63, her eyes welling with tears as she stared at the smoldering cigarette. ruins, the remains of a home that had been in his family for generations.

Inez Moore, 40, whose family home in Altadena was destroyed in the fire, said communities like hers are likely to suffer financially more than wealthier suburbs because many residents are without resources or experience in navigating complex bureaucratic systems.

“You have some people who don’t get as much as they should, and some people who may get more than they should,” said Moore, a professor at California State University.

Reuters has contacted California’s major home insurance companies for comment.

State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate (NYSE:), Mercury, Liberty Mutual and Farmers responded in statements saying they are working with policyholders to help them make claims, regardless of specifics. concerns raised by Altadena residents.

Moore, Young and other residents told Reuters they saw no fire engines in Altadena in the early hours of Wednesday as they fled the flames that engulfed their community, fueling a furor that their neighborhood is not a priority.

“We didn’t get help here. I don’t know where everyone is,” said Jocelyn Tavares, 32, as her sister and daughter dug through the smoke-filled debris of a life that was upended – the bike to a child that melts, a cup alone. miraculously saved from the fire.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

REBUILDING

Since erupting Tuesday night, the Eaton Fire has killed at least five people and grown to 13,690 hectares (5,540 acres) as of Thursday night, consuming much of the northern part of Altadena, an unincorporated community of about 40,000 people.

In the late 1960s, Altadena was almost entirely white. As new highways built by urban renewal projects destroyed neighborhoods in Los Angeles, African American families began buying homes in what remained of decades-old relatively affordable communities.

Residents told Reuters they paid about $50,000 for a three-bedroom house in Altadena in the 1970s. The same house would be worth more than $1 million today.

By 1990, nearly 40% of residents were Black. Today, about 18% are Black, 49% are white and 27% are Hispanic or Latino, according to the US Census Bureau.

Residents of Altadena have expressed concerns that the area could become even worse if families who have lived here for generations can’t get insurance payments to cover the cost of rebuilding a home they own. bought cheap decades ago.

Despite the widespread destruction, many locals are upbeat about the community’s rise from the ashes, sharing stories of narrow escapes and memories of decades spent growing up with neighbors who now share part of the disaster.

“There were rows of us going to school together,” Young said, gesturing to a wide swath of charred foundations.

Michael McCarthy, 68, a Los Angeles City clerk, said his home was saved by a neighbor who risked his life by staying behind after everyone fled, using a hose to spray water on the their roofs.

“I know this community is going to rebuild, everybody knows everybody here, everybody loves everybody,” said McCarthy, who is due to retire this year.

“Well, I got a new job today, and that’s to put it all together and do what I can for the neighborhood.”