On January 8, 2025, 24 -year -old Imena Sotomayor lost her home at Eaton Fire in California. Below, she shares her story as she told Elizabeth Gulino.
The Sotomayor family is currently living in a hotel in Burbank, Ca. Gofundme is Connected here.
On the day my family’s home burns in Eaton Canyon Fire started just like any other. I was supposed to have to get to Matcha with my friend that morning, but we ended up being postponed because the wind was so harsh. It is normal for us to experience large winds once or twice a year, so I felt that the wind was not new. In the morning, I even went for a job interview. Then, the power of my best friend came out. We didn’t really live in a fire zone and the fires never really approach us. Until my family saw the fire swell on the mountain, no one thought he would come to us – but he did.
My best friend left her place before we do – she lives higher on the mountain. Then my uncle Dennis and my cousin had to evacuate, but they also lived a little closer to Eaton Canyon. We live in different gridlocks, so their power may have ended three hours before ours. As soon as he did, Dad told me that it was time to leave. We didn’t get a statement from the police or something, telling us to evacuate. I don’t think there were enough troops or firefighters to help.
I lived in my house in Altadena in California [in Los Angeles County] For 23 years with my parents and my younger brother, who is 20. My house was a place of security – and for all my friends. We would have many family events and gatherings there. Everything was always in our house, and all my closest friends lived no longer than a square away from me. It was the only house I’ve ever met. There I became a big sister. I had so many birthdays and celebrations there, and there all our achievements were made.
When the disasters hit, you think you will get the most important things, such as family relics and images. But when you get the one closest to you. In my mind, I thought about grabbing this lamp that my friend, Michae, just wanted, had just taken me. I was trying to gather more and my brother was like “we have to go, we must go, we must go.”
My dad and mom grabbed more than paper, safes and responsible things in a backpack and some shopping bags. They only packaged one outfit to go and nothing else for themselves. My brother was probably packaged two clothes in a backpack. I felt guilty just because I ended up grabbing most things. I had just made a washing machine so I got my bag. I went on a solo trip to Europe two years ago and grabbed a lot of these dresses, because this was my souvenirs from the trip. I took my dog and some of her toys, and that was really. We packed as if we were back the next day.
We decided to go to my uncle Ricky’s house in San Gabriel, which is about half an hour south, to stay the night. Mom and dad led me to take my grandmother – she lives in La Crescenta and is blind. I got in my car and my brother drove my dad’s car. As we were driving, I could see the fire. The smoke was everywhere. It was difficult to breathe. The wind shaking my car and the trees fall down. I couldn’t really see and there were embers flying everywhere. I was never the best with instructions and I had no wifi, so I had to turn my brother back.
I fell asleep in my car that night outside my uncle’s house because of my Nova dog. It’s really cowardly because it’s a rescue, and they didn’t allow dogs at home because they have a cat. Our other two dogs were at the pool house and I didn’t want to leave it on its own.
The next morning, on January 8, my friend sent me a photo of our home, or what was left of it. His home was also burned. At first I didn’t even know what he had sent. It was nothing. We had just got the remodeling, to repeat the road and put on a large iron fence, so that the dogs could look out. And only the fence was left. I showed my mom, who was sitting next to me. He put us there. This is their only home they have ever bought, and we have just lost everything. It was ran her eyes.
The next day my family and I ended up returning to see the house. At that point, the cops prevented people from entering the area because it was still an active fire. We went too far. We went deeper into the mountains to Loma Alta Park and reached Fair Oaks where I live. There is this ride to the Universal Studios called The Universal Studios Tour and there is a part of it where you watch a disaster in a work set, with floods and fires and electricity lines falling down. That’s how he felt. I felt fake. As we were pulling, I got a piece on my throat. Seeing our house and seeing what was left … it’s crazy because it looks so small. You have the whole house, you have all these memories, your whole life was there and now, it’s just a bunch of ruins and dirt.
We were trying to show all our friends [photos] Because we were all of no confidence. No one believes that their home is gone until they really see it. We went to one of my friend’s houses to the mountain. Seeing her home, she made me cry because we had so many memories there. But now nothing is left.
We saw the most random things survive from fires. A whole block would leave and then there would be a house still standing, or everything is burned and there is a tree. We had this beautiful garden with banana trees and dragon fruit, so I thought at least one of those who survived. But no. There were no plants. We had a turtle and we were not able to dig it before we left because it buried itself for the winter. We’ve had him all my life. My mom and dad found him when we went back. We believe that he was suffocated because of the fire. My parents ended up burying him on the doorstep.
We had a garage that had all our most important things. My dad gave me a sandwich maker when I was like four. That was my favorite gift and now it’s gone. I had all the OG Littlest Pet. This was the only thing I really liked as a kid and I kept all these years and are gone. I had a whole box with brand new things when I was ready to move.
I turned 24 in December. I hope this would be the year I could start looking for places on my own but now I don’t even want. How could I leave my family? We were all going through this traumatic thing and at this point I would feel so nervous and I will have much more stress if I am like, where are they, what are they doing, is it okay?
I wish I had taken the time to save the real important things. I had all my babies in my room. I kept each card from every birthday, every congratulations, every Thanksgiving card. I spent a life that collecting things. I had a collection of coins, we collected crystals, and grabbed a fucking laundry bag. It’s all the little things. It’s just a glossy lip to someone but it’s an excursion I made with my best friend. Even if we get these new things from fine places, such as Altadena girlsIt is not the bag or uniform I saved for. It feels that your pride is gone because now, we go through second -hand things to try to find something we can use.
We ended up randomly grabbing a photo album I made from my parents when I was younger and brought my mom to tears. It was so sad. They were photos of them and their childhood. We were a photo house. We had photos of my friends, my photos, and now all we have is this little photo album.
The number one priority right now is to find a place until we can rebuild. Many of the places they rent either raised all their prices or are not in our budget. We have three big dogs, so we had a hard time finding a place [to stay]. We ended up finding a hotel in Burbank. I feel that many people who also lost their homes were here because they are one of the only places you can bring dogs. I hope we don’t have to stay in the hotel, but even then, at least we have a hotel. Some people sleep in their cars.
I don’t know how we would do it without getting into everyone. There is a friend I hadn’t talked to for years and helped me and was the first to offer me things. Girls I played sofbol with when I was 12 bring me things to help us. It really makes sense. I told my friends that while I hate that we are all going through it together, at least we are all friends for a long time to find out what we are talking about if we mention a random part of our homes or accidental image or plant, because I grew up together in these homes.
I was afraid of this [the] Help is just going to last for a month peaks because it is the new disaster. But what if everything stops? It’s not as in a month we will be good. We will still be at the hotel. I don’t know if we will be able to find a place so fast. My family was not still paying the house yet. We will never leave dogs, but it makes it 1,000 times harder to find something.
Mean so much that people share our Hip. It hurts you to ask for help. You had something, you built something and now it’s gone and now you have to ask and look for other people’s kindness. This is difficult for many people, I know it was difficult for me.
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