Six months after LA wildfires, some adjust to new life in vehicles

Terry Kilgore lives alone in his Altadena neighbourhood in California, sleeping in a recreational vehicle and surrounded by empty lots that were once the site of family homes.

In January, those homes were burnt to the ground.

Six months after the wildfires that devastated the eastern and western flanks of Los Angeles, Kilgore's RV solution is one way victims are coping as the arduous rebuilding effort goes on.

“You would never know it but it was pretty here. It's never going to be pretty like it was,” said Kilgore, 70, a rock 'n' roll guitarist and lifelong Altadena resident. “The place I grew up in is gone forever. It's a memory.”

The fires broke out on January 7, when dry desert winds whipped over mountain passes with hurricane force, after eight months without rain. The Eaton Fire, in Los Angeles County just east of the city, devastated the community of Altadena, while the Palisades Fire levelled much of the coastal Pacific Palisades district.

The fires killed 22 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes and caused as much as $53.8bn in property damage, according to a report by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.

While many homeowners complain about delays, city and county officials say rebuilding progress has exceeded initial expectations. About 75% of the 4,398 residential lots destroyed or severely damaged in the city of Los Angeles have been cleared of debris and are certified for rebuilding, according to a spokesperson for mayor Karen Bass.

In Altadena, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, there are still a few burnt-out and boarded-up businesses. Some are strewn with rubble. But most of the residential lots are cleared and free of char.

One source of Altadena's charm — its proximity to nature — also made it vulnerable to wildfire.

Black and Latino families have lived in Altadena for generations and the suburb is also popular with younger artists and engineers working at the nearby NASA rocket lab who were attracted by the small-town vibe and spectacular mountain views.

Now the town is dotted with signs of “Altadena is not for sale”, reflecting concerns that speculators and developers may turn what had been rows of neat bungalows into gaudy cash cows.

Kilgore's RV is parked within a sea of razed lots and the occasional home that is still standing but vacant due to smoke damage. Many homeowners are crashing with friends and family, or renting during the rebuild, but others, like Kilgore, have chosen to live on their properties in RVs.

Jose Luis Martinez, 71, a retired electrician born in El Salvador, had been in his home for 38 years when it burnt down. Uninsured like Kilgore, and living on Social Security, he has no long-term plan but decided to hold onto the property and camp in an RV.

Others received insurance payments. Retired pastor Edwin Isaacs, 64, paid off his mortgage and is happy to live on his property condition-free in an RV, while Marialyce Pedersen has parked a trailer on her property while she rebuilds.

“I was 61 years old and ready to retire and enjoy my pool and my life. I love that my land is still here,” she said. “Here it feels familiar, like the right place for my body to be.”

Kilgore, who once played with former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, says he lost some of his best guitars in the fire, including a 1953 Fender Telecaster and a 1904 Parlor, along with an estimated $120,000 in equipment from his home studio. He said he saved five guitars that he grabbed on his way out the door to evacuate.

He once lived in a comfortable home with a high ceiling and tree-filled yard. Now he sweats inside a Bounder RV and washes and shaves with cold hose water in an outdoor basin. His main goal, he said, is to re-record all his original music that was lost in the fire.

“That's probably what's left for me to do,” Kilgore said. “I could die after that, for all I care. I've seen enough of this monkey show, I'm telling you.”

Reuters