California wildfires could be creating lasting impacts by deepening existing inequalities, leaving vulnerable communities even more disadvantaged in their wake.

A resident uses a garden hose to spray their property as the Eaton Fire consumes structures across the street in Altadena, California, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

ALTADENA, Calif. (NB360) — The destruction of celebrity homes and film sites by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area gives the impression that these fires impacted many movie stars.

However, a drive through the scorched neighborhoods in Altadena reveals that the fires also devastated a unique community where Black families had long found refuge from discriminatory housing practices. These neighborhoods were known for their racial and economic diversity, with many residents owning their homes.

There is now concern that these catastrophic fires, the worst in California's history, may have permanently altered this landscape. For many, recovery and rebuilding could be unattainable, and gentrification pressures might resurface.

Samantha Santoro, 22, a first-generation college student at Cal Poly Pomona, was frustrated when initial wildfire coverage focused on celebrities. She and her sister, a UC Berkeley student, worry about how their Mexican immigrant parents and working-class neighbors who lost homes in Altadena will recover.

“We don’t have the luxury of saying, ‘I’ll just go to my second home,’” Santoro said.

Their family's two-bedroom house with a pool had a stable rent of $1,650, allowing the Santoros to raise their daughters affordably. Now, they are temporarily staying with a relative in Pasadena. The family has renters insurance but little else.

“It’s hard to accept having nothing,” Santoro said, tearfully thinking of her parents. “Everything they worked for was in that house.”

Altadena was a blend of small bungalows and grand mansions. The community of 42,000 includes blue-collar families, artists, entertainment industry workers, and white-collar professionals. According to Census data, about 58% of residents are non-white, with a quarter Hispanic and nearly a fifth Black.

During the Civil Rights era, Altadena provided a rare opportunity for Black Americans to achieve middle-class status without facing discriminatory credit practices. Families retained homes across generations and supported each other's growth. Today, the Black homeownership rate there is 81.5%, nearly double the national average.

This is notable considering that 92% of Altadena's 15,000 residences are single-family homes, according to the 2023 Census American Community Survey. The median income exceeds $129,000, with just over 7% of residents living in poverty.

Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, fears the fires have permanently altered the community for these families.

“Someone will buy it and develop who knows what, changing Altadena’s character,” Knapp said, noting that those with fewer resources will suffer the most.

Kenneth Snowden, 57, comes from one of the Black families that bought a home in 1962. Both that house and the one Snowden purchased nearly 20 years ago are gone.

He is urging state and federal officials to assist all fire-affected communities fairly, stating, “Your $40 million home is no different than my $2 million home.”

Snowden seeks the ability to secure home loans with 0% interest. “Give us the chance to rebuild, restart our lives,” he said. “If billions can be spent on war, a billion can help us return to where we were.”

Shawn Brown lost both her home and the public charter school she founded in Altadena. She advises fellow Black homeowners considering offers for their property: “Stand strong, rebuild, continue the generational progress of African-Americans.”

She and her team at Pasadena Rosebud Academy are fundraising to rebuild while exploring temporary locations in churches.

However, some churches also burned. At Altadena Baptist Church, only the bell tower remains.

The Rev. George Van Alstine and others are assisting over 10 church members who lost homes with needs like insurance and federal aid. The pastor fears the fires will lead to gentrification, disproportionately affecting Black parishioners, who make up half the congregation.

“We’re seeing families likely having to leave because rebuilding in Altadena is too costly,” he said.

Photographer Daniela Dawson, 32, who worked two jobs to afford her $2,200 studio apartment rent, fled the wildfires with her Hyundai SUV and cat, Lola. She lost nearly everything else, including photography equipment worth thousands.

She didn’t have renter’s insurance. “Obviously, I’m reconsidering that now. I wish I had it,” she said.

Dawson plans to return to Arizona, where she lived before, to regroup. But she likely won’t return to Altadena.