The Eaton Fire, the second most destructive blaze in California history, has ravaged Altadena, a city long cherished as a haven for Black families. The fire has not only destroyed homes but also tragically claimed lives, leaving residents grappling with the loss and fear of displacement.
When the Eaton Fire blazed through Altadena earlier this month, it took more than homes and memories; it devastated a city that has long been a haven for Black families. 'I love the community so much,' resident Trevor Howard Kelley said. 'I have Altadena tattooed on me â believe it or not.' Not only did the Eaton Fire destroy his family home, but it also claimed the life of his 83-year-old mother, who was a pillar of the community. 'One house my whole life,' Trevor said.
'Now, it's gone â and my beautiful mother is gone.' Kelley has lived in Altadena his entire life. His father served in the US Navy and bought the family home in 1968 with the help of the GI Bill, a government program that provided benefits to veterans â including home loans. 'We tried to get property in Pasadena but of course, they redlined everyone to Altadena, so that's how we landed there,' Trevor said. The US government created the Federal Housing Administration in 1934 to insure 'economically sound' loans following the Great Depression, according to the Federal Reserve. One practice mortgage lenders, both public and private, used to ensure economically sound loans was redlining which highlighted high-risk neighborhoods in red. These redlined areas were typically urban or Black neighborhoods. Mortgage lenders would deny people access to credit based on their neighborhoods until the 1968 Fair Housing Act outlawed redlining or any similar practice that denied people loans because of their race, color, national origin and other ethnic factors. The Kelleys were among the many Black families who moved to Altadena because it was one of the few communities where minorities could get a housing loan. 'It was basically, very racially acceptable for the African American,' he said. 'They could come here and get their businesses without having to through a lot of red tape that they were experiencing in other states.' Town councilmember Darlene Green says the enclave became a sanctuary for the Black community, becoming the home for baseball legend Jackie Robinson, Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier and author Octavia Butler. 'My grandmother, who taught the home as a single woman, was with 10 children,' Trevor's wife Kimberly said. 'She scraped. She worked.' Kimberly said Altadena also offered her family a piece of the American Dream. 'All of her grandchildren, it was probably like 30 of us, all were raised and have memories,' she said. 'We're close, became close, remained close, because of that home.' At one point in history, African Americans made up over 40% of Altadena's homeowners. In 2025, of the 18% of Black residents in the town, 81% own homesâalmost double the national rate. 'We have a lot of blue-collar and white-collar workers,' Greene said. 'But, everybody treats everybody the same here, which makes it special. It's a community with a capital C.' These homes were intended to be passed down to loved ones, providing a step towards generational wealth. 'He bought that home,' Trevor said. 'So, when my mom and dad passed, they would leave it to my sister and I, and my sister has no kids. I would leave it to my kids ... We were going to keep it going.' Many in the community have several relatives living within minutes of one another. 'They are here with their children and their children's children here,' Greene said. The Eaton Fire is the second most destructive blaze in California history. It destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures, including eight of the homes belonging to members of the Williams family. 'People want us to be really, really sad, and we are inside, but I mean we're ok,' Ellen Williams said. 'We're ok.' About 20% of the residents affected by the Eaton Fire are Black. With neighborhoods decimated, many residents fear that they will be priced out of their lifelong community. 'My biggest fear is not gentrification, but colonization,' Kimberly said. 'Meaning you come and gentrify the neighborhood you're going to make it beautiful, but when you come to colonize you're going to replace those who worked so hard and were resilient and were redlined up here. You will replace them with your capitalistic selves. The Town Council has already started conversations surrounding the growing fear, according to Greene. 'I'd like to make sure that the people representing us advocate for the people that have been here â grandmothers and generations that have been here and built their homes,' Greene said. 'they don't let land developers come in here and price us out.
Altadena Fire Black Community Redlining Gentrification Colonization Housing Displacement
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