Retired Altadena Couple Break Ground on New Home After Losing Everything in Wildfire

When Manuel and Emma Alvarado fled their Altadena, CA, home in the midst of the January 2025 Eaton fire, Manuel wasn't able to grab much besides his acoustic guitar.

The fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings, left a path of devastation through their neighborhood.

The retired truck driver and his 87-year-old wife had lived in their Taos Road home for more than 50 years, after purchasing it for $23,000 in 1973. When Manuel returned days later, the home where they had raised five children had been reduced to rubble and ashes.

But Manuel had his guitar.

Standing on the spot that had once been his living room, the 88-year-old serenaded his wife of 65 years with the John Denver classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads," slightly altering the words.

"Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong, Altadena, mountain mama, take me home," he sang during an interview with Kalina Silverman on her Instagram page Big Talk.

Like many of their neighbors, the Alvarados didn't have home insurance. Prior to the fires, several insurance companies opted to cancel the policies of people living in the fire-prone area.

But they do have resilient spirits.

"The upside of the whole situation is no more termite problem. The termites are gone," Manuel joked in an interview with the County of Los Angeles following the fire.

"I almost want to cry when I see people in the situation we’re in," he continued. "But I also know there is a better world coming. There is a better way. Relief is on the way."

Nearly 20 months later, that relief came.

On Tuesday, Manuel and Emma returned to the site of their former property to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for their new home.

HPP Cares, a California nonprofit that provides financial and housing assistance to low-income and marginalized groups, is funding the project. Their Recovery and Rebuilt Collaboratory provides resources and case management services for Altadena fire survivors.

Former Los Angeles Laker and NBA champion A.C. Green was also on hand to show his support. Green runs a youth sports foundation in the community.

“I love the Pasadena area, and I’m happy to support HPP Cares, which is bringing back hope and is committed to rebuild Altadena,” Green said. “And that’s only done one family at a time, like we play our games in sports, one  quarter at a time before you get to the end result, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now.”

For now, the Alvarados are living with a relative in nearby Lincoln Heights. They expect the rebuild will take 10 more months. A GoFundMe campaign started by their grandson raised nearly $50,000 for the couple.

The goal is to build a house "just like the house we had," Emma told the Los Angeles Daily News.

“I can't hardly wait to get around here again,” Manuel added. “We had the mountains, we had goats that gave us milk and cheese. We had an orange and peach tree, some apricots, a lemon and plum tree.”