On Wednesday, Feb. 19, my mom and I set out to survey the damage in our community. I recorded footage for my documentary “My Beloved Altadena” as she shared stories. Together, we traced the fire’s path from Eaton Canyon westward to Lincoln Avenue and Altadena Drive.
At Fair Oaks and Loma Alta, Mom drove north to check on our cousin Elbert Scott’s home near McNally Avenue. As we passed, she spotted the pool—but not the house. She gasped. Though she had driven through Altadena before, she hadn’t fully grasped the extent of the devastation until that day with me.
Mom has been a hairstylist at Supercuts for over 30 years. After leaving our cousin’s property, we turned the corner to see her client’s home. All that remained was the client’s charred motorcycle.
The drive felt like a funeral procession—somber and heavy—as we spent hours taking in the destruction.
We ended the day at Tropic Truck, courtesy of World Kitchen, sharing shrimp burritos and chicken quesadillas.
We continued exploring Altadena the following day, reminiscing as we attended the Grocery Outlet’s reopening on Lake, and a wellness event hosted by the Altadena Library Foundation at Fair Oaks Burger. We visited the Meadows to see our old home at 4219 Aralia Road and viewed our family friend the Miles home. Mom said the Meadows residents were lucky that they weren’t harmed or trapped.
Later, we visited the home of our 89-year-old longtime family friend a former social worker and a community legend, Ms. Marnetta Kimbell, near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Inside Ms. Kimbell’s cozy home, Mom and I shared our concern for her. We had both called during the week of the fire, only to find the phone line dead. I interviewed her while she folded clothes. We spoke about our families, the day the fire broke out, her escape empty-handed, her daughter losing her home, the generosity she has received, and her plans to rebuild.
She recounted memories of Altadena from as far back as 1960 when she first moved to the area, describing how Altadena Sheriff’s routinely brutalized Black men after sundown—breaking her neighbor’s son’s jaw and nose. Stunned, I responded softly, admitting that I had never heard accounts of police brutality in Altadena dating back to the ’60s.
I asked what she would say to the community about the loss.
“I can’t imagine everything being gone. How difficult it must be. I don’t have the words. But there’s still hope. We will recover. We are not the first community to experience something like this, and from what I’ve seen, we will rebuild.”
As Ms. Kimbell recalled stories about my siblings and me, I mentioned to her that my sister Shennea passed away in a fire twenty years ago in February. Mom gasped.
Before we left Ms. Kimbell’s home, I wandered into her backyard—a place I hadn’t set foot in for over two decades. I had forgotten she had a clear view of JPL and the canyon leading to Millard Falls, my favorite hiking spot. Mom joined me outside, and together we watched the sunset.
Afterward, Mom and I ate dinner at a food truck at Gordy’s Garage, enjoying chicken and steak burritos.
We ended the evening at Metropolitan Baptist Church on Fair Oaks, recording footage of Rep. Judy Chu, the Army Corps of Engineers, and federal experts discussing toxic waste removal.
Though I’m back in NYC, my humanitarian efforts for Altadena are ongoing. I will return soon to help rebuild my Beloved Altadena and check in on Ms. Kimbell.
Ms. Kimbell’s interview www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScD8p9QJfdc&t=30s
www.nahshondionanderson.com
