According to the latest numbers from LA County, the combined Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures. One of them was a Tudor-style house at the end of Norwic Place in Altadena. Since 2011, Jill, Lucy, and I had called that house our home. On January 8th, 2025, it burned to the ground.
So much was lost to us in the Eaton fire. Jill and I will never again see the papers, class projects, and artwork from our daughter’s childhood days. Our collection of Christmas ornaments gathered over the 33 years of our married life is gone forever. Every audio recording contained on cassette or CD, every article of clothing (save the clothes I was wearing when I evacuated), and every bit of fishing equipment I ever owned was burned up. And we will never get back the time and energy we spent repairing, renovating, expanding, and furnishing that living space to make it truly feel like home.
There are days when the losses of January 8th feel overwhelming – especially when I drive through Altadena and see all the other houses and businesses that were destroyed. Aside from a single-story house at the northeast corner of our street, every home on Norwic Place was burned to the ground. Historically, Altadena had enjoyed a sizable African American population, with black residents comprising more than 30% of the town’s population as recently as the 1970s. Just before the fires, The Associated Press reported that over 80% of African American families in Altadena were homeowners. A great number of their houses went up in flames in the Eaton fire.
So much was lost in the January fires that can never be recovered. But those of us who have lost homes and possessions or suffered displacement can still point to valuable things found in the wake of the fires. The outpouring of support has been astounding. It has come from churches, nonprofits, businesses, families, and individuals all over the country. Clothing and food donations, financial gifts, and offers of service flooded our community. They are a poignant and tangible example of the love of neighbor put into practice. Community relief efforts, government support, nonprofits like Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and a host of other services have been a blessing not just to Jill and me but to many others impacted.
I was especially touched to see gracious giving extended by members of the Knox community, both to one another and to those outside our church body. On a recent Saturday, I was delighted to visit a day-long resource and support fair for immigrants hosted on our church campus. Such an event, I thought, would make Jesus smile.
There were yet other treasures I found in the wake of the fires. I experienced the presence of God in profound ways this past month – something I often find in seasons of vulnerability, challenge, and change. The great statement the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” has spoken to my own experience of 2025. I found the grace of Christ upholding me as I face a cascade of challenges: getting daily necessities, navigating insurance claims, and seeking to pastor a wonderful church community at the same time. I have been grateful for such blessed discoveries amid so much loss.
On February 3rd, some volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse spent the afternoon helping Jill and me sift through the ashes of our former home. By the end of the day, I wondered which treasure we now held in our hands was most precious. Was it the small ceramic bird that one of the volunteers found in the ashes of our daughter’s former bedroom? Jill had bought that bird for Lucy when she was six years old. Lucy had found it in an artisan’s shop during a family getaway in Cambria. It was the only item from Lucy’s bedroom that survived the fires. But as Jill and I held hands with that group of church volunteers as they prayed, I thought of other precious things in our possession. I thought of the care of others, connections as the larger body of Christ, and the rich presence of the Holy Spirit in the journey. Amid so much loss, it felt good to hold those things.
Wishing you the grace and peace of Christ in the journey,
~Pastor Matt