Heartbreaking!-Must read!-----‘Everything Is Gone’

Behind the numbers, of course, are the people who lived in the neighborhoods that burned to the ground. Most of them have lost everything, but none have given up hope. 

Here are four stories of the fire from Angelenos who lived through it. - Peter Savodnik

Two men look at the ruins of a home destroyed by the Eaton fire in Altadena, California, on January 9, 2025. Both men lost their homes in the Eaton fire. (Zoë Meyers via Getty Images)

Four Angelenos tell us what they lost—and what they’re still holding on to.

• Meghan Daum, 54, Altadena

There were no phone alerts. This seems hard to believe, since the phone lets out a screeching alarm for anything these days, including when an elderly person wanders away from home—a “Silver Alert.” 

But there was nothing, at least nothing that I received. 

On Tuesday when the winds picked up, I took some videos of my enormous Newfoundland dog, Hugo, sitting in the front yard, his fur blowing dramatically and his body standing firm even in 60 mph winds. 

A few hours later I saw there were deadly fires in the Palisades, some 25 miles away, and felt badly for posting fun videos on Twitter, though not badly enough to take them down, since they were getting a lot of likes. 

Around 6:30 I learned of a fire in Eaton Canyon, a few miles to my east. I learned of it on Twitter...