A year on, survivor of deadly California fire says, '‘We can rebuild'

Eaton fire survivor Steve Gibson is beginning to rebuild on the lot where his house once stood in Altadena, California.

Gibson and his wife fled their home in the early morning hours of January 7 after receiving an emergency evacuation alert, grabbing only essentials and checking on neighbors before leaving. 

Within days and with the help of neighbors, they learned their house was gone. 

The weeks after the fire were deeply traumatic, Gibson said, recalling the moment he realized everything he owned fit inside his car.

“I thought, I can't believe that's everything we own in the world,” he said.

Facing uncertainty over insurance, toxic debris cleanup and rebuilding costs, Gibson said it took about a month before they decided to try to move back to their Altadena home. Determined not to wait years to return, the couple chose a modular home, allowing them to rebuild more quickly than traditional construction.

“We wanted to come back fast. We didn't want to be two years, three yers, four years out, still building a house,” Gibson told Reuters.

​​The Eaton fire ripped through southern California in January 2025, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 single-family homes and other buildings.

Gibson, who had lived in the diverse Altadena neighborhood for more than two decades, said the fire highlighted both the strength of the community and the financial barriers many residents now face.

“Most of those people don't have enough funds to rebuild, whether they have insurance, whether they have mortgages, whether they have some money in the bank,” Gibson said, adding, “It's almost never enough to rebuild.”

While rebuilding has brought a sense of forward movement, he said the emotional toll remains, and both he and his wife have sought counseling to cope.

As construction continues, Gibson says rebuilding represents more than replacing a house — it is a difficult but necessary step toward starting over. 

“I think we've had to come to terms with it and realize…we can build again and we can start over,” he said. 

Alan Devall, Alexandra Sarabia/Reuters