ALTADENA, Calif. — Birds are returning to areas of Altadena on Sunday morning as a cloud of smoke hangs over the seemingly endless blocks of destroyed homes and businesses.
“I blame that lady,” said Altadena resident Marcela Banuelos.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass does not have jurisdiction over Altadena, which is in Los Angeles County, but residents are frustrated.
“I jumped on the roof, and we were spraying the water,” said Banuelos.
As residents try to figure out next steps, Cooper and Shekarchian are determined to rebuild but plan to do so differently.
ALTADENA, CA. On Sunday morning, as a cloud of smoke looms over the seemingly endless blocks of demolished homes and businesses, birds are returning to parts of Altadena.
The sight of their Altadena home reduced to ashes stunned Moogega Cooper and her fiancé Alex Shekarchian, as locals slowly returned to assess the extent of the damage.
“My washer is visible. “There are so many traces of the past that I can see,” Cooper said.
ABC’s Jaclyn Lee questioned, “What do you regret not taking with you?”.
“Definitely my box of keepsakes,” Cooper reassured him. “My dad served in World War II and returned to a segregated nation. I wish I had kept some small mementos of his Pacific tours.”. “,”.
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As residents and firefighters fought the flames during some of the biggest fires in Los Angeles history, stories are now surfaced regarding the inadequate water supply.
Marcela Banuelos, a resident of Altadena, said, “I blame that lady.”. Lee questioned, “The mayor?”. “Yes,” Banuelos answered. because of the way she slashed the fire department’s funding. “,”.
Although Altadena is in Los Angeles County and is outside of Mayor Karen Bass’s jurisdiction, locals are irate.
The 24-year-old Banuelos saw her Altadena home burn to the ground before rushing to her grandmother’s house, grabbing a water hose, scaling the roof, and attempting to save everything.
Banuelos claimed, “We were spraying the water when I jumped on the roof.”. “Water pressure was nonexistent. Nothing was there. They cut off our water supply. Furthermore, there was nothing we could do. For example, we had no water to try to put anything out. I did my best, you know. Fortunately, my grandma’s house still stands. “.
According to Banuelos, “we were using garden hoses, we were using the Sparkletts gallons of water, just the plastic bottles and filling buckets and just throwing it overboard.”. “And the water supply was cut off while we were also scooping and throwing the dirt. Yes, they turned off our water. “,”.
Banuelos sobbed as she remembered the moment she saw her cherished house burn to the ground.
“I’m only 24 and I was about to make two years that I moved out of my parents, and I took a lot of pride in that and I was very happy there,” Banuelos remarked. “It was like straight flames and black smoke and dust and it was just really sad,” he said.
Cooper and Shekarchian intend to rebuild in a different way, but they are adamant about it as locals attempt to determine what to do next.
Cooper remarked, “I’m definitely worried about this happening again,”. And since we are rebuilding from the ground up using materials that are fire deterrent, I will be extremely mindful in the hopes that this won’t happen again. “..”.
When they rebuild, the couple said they are concerned about getting home insurance.