Overwhelmed by loss but buoyed by friends and strangers alike, Angelenos who lost their homes prepare to rebuild their lives
Until last Tuesday, Ryan and Endea Marrone lived with their two young sons in Altadena, California, in a picturesque two-bedroom home tucked into the base of the San Gabriel mountains. Behind the house, Ryan, a music producer, had created a mini recording studio, where he adorned the walls with pictures that his kids drew for him. Their wooded neighborhood was tight-knit: it was a community that wasn’t populated by the ultra-wealthy, where many homeowners had lived for decades and still exchanged holiday presents and housewarming gifts.
Now, a week later, the Marrones’ home – and their surrounding neighborhood – are all ash. The only thing that remains of their house is the chimney, singed black from flames and smoke. The front steps lead to a huge, leveled expanse of charred debris. Everything, from their sons’ Legos, to a school art project, to a photo from Ryan and Endea’s first date, was completely incinerated.
“There’s nothing left,” Ryan said. “It’s like we were never there.”
But in the bleak days since the Eaton fire swept through their community, as they’ve wondered where to go and what to do next, something else unexpected happened. Friends and family created GoFundMe pages for the Marrones, which exploded with donations and messages from around the country. More than 700 people in total, including loved ones and strangers, donated to the cause. It was an outpouring of support so overwhelming and surprising that Ryan and Endea suggested other wildfire relief efforts for well-wishers to check out.
“I can’t believe I can even say this, but I know we will be OK,” Ryan wrote in an update on GoFundMe.
