Altadena One Year Later: Multi-Generational Family Breaks Ground on New Home After Eaton Fire
While the ashes from the Eaton Fire of 2025 are long gone, its residual effects will remain for generations. From well-regarded family-owned and operated establishments to multi-person households, when tragedy strikes, those most vulnerable are the hardest hit. As Altadena continues its fight to stay alive, its citywide motto, “Altadena Not for Sale,” remains at the forefront of efforts to reclaim its land and cultural footprint. For the Roberts family, their fight broadens as they step closer to rebuilding their home and the peace it provided.
On the night of the Eaton Fire, Terica Roberts and her family of 5, including her mom and beloved dog, escaped the fast-moving blaze as embers shadowed the Altadena community. That night was the last time they saw their home standing. Wrought with dismay, uncertainty set up shop, and before they knew it, their lives were turned upside down.
“I didn't think it was real at first. It was surreal. It was scary,” recalls Gilbert Roberts, 21, of that traumatic night when the house he grew up in burned to the ground.
One year later, the Roberts are finally able to start the rebuilding process as ground was broken on their new home in December 2025. For Terica —whose mom to Gilbert, Gavin, 17, and Grayson, 11— this step forward has been a long time coming.
“There are mixed emotions. It's exciting to be here and to see the neighborhood coming back together,” she says. “It definitely feels hopeful, but at the same time, it makes me sad that we're not further along in this process.”
Terica isn’t the only one experiencing mixed emotions. Another member of her family shares concerning sentiments on the fate of Altadena and what it could look like in the future.
“It means change. A lot of houses burned down, so stuff is not gonna look the same,” says Gavin. “Before the fire happened, this was a quiet neighborhood, and you would barely see cars coming around, so I could ride my bike and not worry about cars coming down the street.
As the tide begins to turn for the Roberts, their neighborhood has undergone more changes in the past year due to “a lot of properties that were purchased by companies.” Even as they prepare for the next step of the building process, Terica continues to receive offers for her home and its land.
According to ABC7, after the Eaton Fire, eight companies bought homes in Altadena. The outlet also reports that 44% of the Altadena burn scar and the Palisades burn scar—which occurred one day before the Eaton Fire—have been purchased by corporations, raising concerns of a monopoly at play.
“My phone rings nonstop all day. In the beginning, of course, it was worse. Now, it's one to three times a day,” Terica explains.
To make their rebuilding journey worse, she’s been targeted by “some bad contractors who weren't necessarily for the best of benefits.”
“So, that slows down the pace, moving along to different people, meeting with a lot of different people, and really trying to see who has your best interest. That's been a process. There's been a lot of sharks out there,” she continues. While Terica assures she has not been a scam victim, she contends, “these contractors take on more than they can handle [and] as many jobs as they can, which drags out your project.”
The Eaton Fire claimed 19 lives and decimated over 14,000 acres of land in Altadena. In a February 2025 earnings report, CNN reports that SoCal Edison “believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition” of the fire and began providing residents who were affected by the blaze with a compensation package. As uncertainties swell on the road ahead, Terica has chosen not to accept the company’s offer and will seek the “full length of litigation.”
“They've admitted it. They've come out and said that their material was responsible,” she explains. “Based on our own research and what we've seen, we were already pretty confident in that. I think it's just all around a really bad situation, especially considering the aftereffects of it. There'll be money, there'll be settlements, [but] it doesn't bring back everything that we lost.”
In the midst of the burdensome trials caused by the Eaton Fire, the Roberts have turned their pain into passion. Terica recently launched Grayson’s World View as a beacon of light for others who’ve experienced hard times. This nonprofit aims to serve as a “safe space to come together with others from the community [for] mental health services and [other] resources.”
To help the Roberts rebuild, please check out their GoFundMe.
