Aid Gabriela, Austin & Archie: Fire Relief

Hi everyone,

I am Gabriela Esqueda, born in Van Nuys, raised in Topanga Canyon, CA and Chatsworth, CA. My partner Austin and I are renting a backhouse on Figueroa and Windsor Ave. since January 2023. I lived on the same property but in the attached guesthouse as of August 2020 so I have lived in Beautiful Altadena for over 4 years.

We were evacuated from our home in Altadena on Wednesday at 3:30 AM. We slept in our car with Archie our pup, in neighboring La Cañada until midnight the night before holding out hope that we would be able to return home. We were so tired and devastated that we decided to go back home at 1 AM and of course could not sleep; our home starting smelling of smoke and ash quickly surrounded us. A few hours later, at 3 :24 AM the alert on our phones said we needed to get out now.

We left our home with our electronics, chargers, a bit of dog food, and the clothes off our backs.

Austin and I looked at social media, Google maps “LA Fires”, and our local FB pages and could not believe the damage the Eaton fire had done and how it consumed everything we know and love in Altadena. Our friends small businesses and folks who’d set up their shops at the La Cañada farmers market was all decimated and we bawled and sobbed thinking of the unimaginable pain for people that poured their hearts and souls into their living and their community.

Luckily, our home is still standing and we will not be able to return home yet. In the meantime, we travelled south and we have been living in hotels in Orange County and San Diego.

We are covered with housing by our employers until Tuesday January 14th and received the Airbnb credit which I estimate would hold us up with housing through Monday January 20th.

We are setting up this fund for contributions that would assist us in purchasing basics like gas for our car, food for both of us and for our pup, toiletries, shoes, and clothing.

We are collectively mourning with our community and plan to help with rebuild efforts for the following and of course not limited to; our chiropractors office and Aldi grocery store on Lake, our favorite coffee shops like Café de Leche and Amara, and the pizza shop Side Pie that contributed to Altadena’s community by having live music after we came out of the COVID pandemic.

I moved to Altadena in the Fall of 2020 because I got a job in a COVID testing lab in San Dimas so I looked for the midpoint between my moms home in Van Nuys and San Dimas and the map pointed to Altadena. Even though I was working up to 80 hours a week, I knew I had my peaceful home and warm bed in Altadena to come home to. I fell head over heels with the people, local businesses, and surrounding nature. I had never felt more calm, love, and peace in any place I lived until I lived in Altadena.

We are grateful our home stands and me, Austin, and Archie can’t wait to be able to go back home.

Thank you all so much.