Help Brad and Ester rebuild after the destructive Eaton Fire

Brad here. I'm an Altadena resident, hiker, and mountain biker. My wife Ester, has been instrumental in her activism for Altadena Safe Streets, getting kids on bikes and her work with Altarena Wild’s media campaign, and VP of Mount Wilson Bicycling Association, a nonprofit who works in partnership with the USFS to maintain the trails in the Angeles National Forest. Back during the summer of 2020, we purchased our dream home in Altadena. It was an emotional rollercoaster during the endless escrow period. We dumped our savings into getting the property, but we felt successful in achieving the American Dream.

Nothing in life could have prepared us for the recent wildfire event. We’ve all seen images of wildfires in the media, but it’s surreal to experience a wildfire under immediate threat.

Early Tuesday morning, Ester and I experienced the catastrophic results of an uncontrollable wildfire event. Around 6:30 PM on Monday, December 7th, a wildfire broke out in the Eaton Canyon area of Altadena. At first, we were unsure of the possibility that it could travel the 3 miles west across the canyon to our house, considering the wind was blowing south. We parked facing out just as a precaution. By midnight, the threat seemed imminent. At 3 AM, we were given the official order to evacuate. By then, Ester had prepared our necessities, and we quickly departed. Our neighborhood looked apocalyptic with the mountains on fire emitting a red glow, billowing smoke, fallen trees, and downed power lines, all while in a total blackout. The winds were gusting above 70 mph, and the old-growth trees were dancing about.

We safely drove off to visit family in Long Beach. The air was cool when we arrived, and the wind was almost non-existent.

After arriving and settling down, we were glued to our solar doorbell camera, which gave us a bird's eye view of the front of our house. We watched as the winds tore through our hedges and spewed debris everywhere, and then, around 5 AM, the winds carried embers into our hedges directly in front of our house. Within minutes, our hedges were fully engulfed in flames, sending embers everywhere. By 5:30 AM, our fence and shed had caught fire, and we watched as our video footage went dark. Since then, we’ve heard harrowing stories from neighbors with first-hand accounts of the damage. Their stories further reiterate what we already believed. Now, here we are with family, working to process everything that has unfolded within the past 24 hours. In these tumultuous times, we realize how much we must be thankful for. We have our health, strength, and drive to rebuild our little ranch into something even better. Our home was always open to anyone who needed it. Whether it be family or friends, we always open our doors.

This massive impact will undoubtedly leave a crater in other aspects of our lives. Ultimately, we may see longer lead times and fewer new product releases as we work to clean up our home in Altadena. I’m writing to thank you for your support over the years. You’ve been with us through our USA bag production, and I like to let you hear straight from the horse's mouth that this changes nothing. We’re still operating out of Downtown LA, building all of our bags in-house By Cyclists For Cyclists, and we plan to continue to do so as long as we have your support. Now is a tiring time for us, and we would appreciate it more than ever if you could look through our web store (RoadRunnerBags.US) and find yourself that new bag you’ve been wanting. Know that your purchase will help keep our small business afloat while we work to rebuild what was lost.

Additionally, we have set up this GoFundMe to help with our February expenses during this slow season and difficult transition. It’s not easy to ask for help as we do what we can to help those around us. We are appreciative of the support of our communities and everyone reaching out to check that we’re safe.