L.A. County wildfires leave diverse and historic Altadena in ashes and rubble
Families of color, making up over half of Altadena, have bought homes and kept them for generations. The Black home ownership rate exceeds 80%, almost double the national rate.
ALTADENA, Calif. — Dennis “Buzz” Chatman said that, when he bought his house in Altadena in 2020, the original property title in 1950 indicated that the only nonwhite people allowed in the neighborhood were servants.
“So being able to plant my flag there meant a lot,” said Chatman, a film and TV producer.
Now, Chatman and his partner, Todd Smoyer, are grappling with having lost not only their house, but also what he says was a haven for Black families to the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area last week.
Dennis “Buzz” Chatman and his partner, Todd Smoyer, lost their house in the fire in Altadena, Calif.Courtesy of Christiana BuenoIn Altadena, a diverse enclave with a flourishing art community 14 miles northeast of Los Angeles, residents affected by the Eaton Fire are mourning a sweeping loss of history, community and culture.
The Eaton Fire has killed at least 11 residents and reduced more than 1,900 structures to ash and rubble. By Monday morning, authorities said the blaze was 33% contained. The wildfires that erupted in Los Angeles County last week are among the most destructive in California history, having killed at least 24 people and forced 180,000 others to evacuate.
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