Months after the L.A. wildfires, slow, yet steady progress
- - Months after the L.A. wildfires, slow, yet steady progress
Terry Collins, USA TODAYAugust 23, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Chien Yu recently offered to take his 12-year-old son Hudson for a haircut. It seemed like a harmless suggestion, but the shaggy-haired boy’s answer reminded Yu that his two sons are still processing the trauma they’ve endured this year.
The last time they all got haircuts together, Hudson reminded him, was the same day his school and their home of six years burned to the ground.
"I forgot. I was blown away, he remembered," Yu said. "So I just dropped it and went without them."
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A Pasadena, California, firefighter, Yu, long ago developed skills to block out such tragedies. But the wildfire that tore through Los Angeles and their Altadena neighborhood early this year literally struck close to home.
"It’s so much more personal now," the 46-year-old said, adding that his firehouse has conducted more mental health check-ins since then. "Our tough journey is far from over."
Tedious road to rebuilding
The path to recovery will be a long one for the Yu family and the thousands of others who lost homes, schools, workplaces, and livelihoods during the three-week fires that scorched more than 37,000 acres, or 57.8 square miles of California coastline. The fires caused between an estimated $95 billion and $164 billion in financial losses. More than 30 people died.
The Yus, like many, are just starting the process of rebuilding.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished clearing the debris from the family's lot ahead of schedule, but is still chipping away at the more than 9,000 lots in the Eaton and Palisades fire burn zones.
Los Angeles County has approved 238 rebuilding permits as of August 22, out of 1,523 received, the majority coming from Altadena, the area hardest hit by the wildfires, according to a county dashboard. Most property owners in Altadena – including the Yus – haven’t submitted applications yet.
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Still, the pace of permitting has been too slow, President Donald Trump said in an Aug. 22 conversation with reporters at the White House.
“The mayor’s incompetent, the governor’s incompetent,” Trump said, referring to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “They want to build the houses and they’re unable to get permits from the mayor and from the governor, and that’s a terrible thing.”
The Yus are making progress, though. They are working to share costs with their neighbors in Altadena, a diverse, working-class community: buying wood and other supplies in bulk, jointly hiring contractors, and benefitting from a retired architect on their block who has offered to help design their new home.
Kim and Chien Yu, along with their sons Atticus, left and Hudson, attend the Los Angeles Dodgers 2025 home opener honoring area firefighters. Chien Yu, a Pasadena firefighter, battled the Eaton Fire right after his family evacuated their home they lost in the blaze.
The family also hopes to benefit from the county and state’s decision to temporarily suspend or waive certain regulations to expedite the rebuilding.
"It gives us hope that this won’t be a long, drawn-out process," said Yu’s wife, Kim, also 46, a volunteer Altadena town council member. "We're still trying to have each other’s backs."
Meeting financial needs
Kim Yu, along with council colleagues Nic Antzen and Milissa Marona, helped create the Altadena Eaton Fire Recovery Fund (AEFRF) in partnership with GoFundMe, whose CEO and fellow Altadena resident, Tim Cadogan, lost his home in the wildfire.
The fund aimed to provide one-time grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 to support recovery and rebuilding efforts for Altadena residents. It netted nearly $300,000, and 300 people have applied, averaging to about $1,000 each, Marona said.
"The money will go right in their hands," Marona said. "The need is so outstanding."
The Yu's launched their own GoFundMe campaign, which raised more than $250,000 to cover costs that insurance won't.
Small signs of progress as two homes are under construction in west Altadena, California just six months after the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that left 31 dead and destroyed 15,000 structures.
There are other funds as well, including one from Southern California Edison, which has acknowledged that its transmission lines may have started the fires.
Still, the federal funding that many hoped would help with reconstruction hasn’t materialized.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom marked the wildfires' six-month anniversary on July 7, calling again on the Trump Administration to provide federal funding for the state’s recovery. Congress left for its summer recess that month without making progress on Newsom's February request for $40 billion to help rebuild homes, schools, and hospitals, as well as provide economic development grants and small business loans.
Newsom said that fire funding should be a nonpartisan issue, reiterating, "we’re all in this together."
Chien Yu agreed.
"I'm hoping this is not an 'out of sight, out of mind' occurrence," he said. "That would be the saddest part of it all – if politics got in the way."
ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: The Eaton Fire burns through a neighborhood on January 08, 2025 in Altadena, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Eaton Fire has grown to over 10,000 acres and has destroyed many homes and businesses. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Being strong for family, community
Amid the rebuilding, Kim and Chien Yu say finding routine and stability for their sons, Hudson and Atticus, 8, has been a priority during a period of makeshift arrangements.
“We try to keep things light, yet focused. Atticus seems pretty fine, but you can tell he’s still affected by it,” Kim Yu said. “He’s a very independent child, but it’s harder for him to be alone.
“And Hudson, he likes to reminisce and points things out as he’s coming to terms with what happened,” she added.
Kim Yu, whose full-time job is as a fire safety specialist at Cal Tech, said she and her husband have to be strong not only for their family, but also for their community.
"Honestly, when I ran (for town council) last year, I never imagined I’d be put in a position like this," she said. "These few months have been really hard, but we have no other choice. There are times when I feel like I’m failing, and I rely on my husband and my family to give me grace."
Chien Yu agrees, adding they are digging deep to maintain resilience.
“My wish is that while the kids remember our house burned down, they will have the capacity to make new, happier memories," he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Months later, slow, steady progress for L.A. wildfire victims
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