New film explores aftermath of Eaton Fire in Altadena

Fire victims in Altadena’s historic Black community continue to pick up the pieces more than a year after the devastating Eaton Fire. A new film “Beneath the Ashes: The Past Reimagined,” explores the aftermath. 

LOS ANGELES – A new film is exploring the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena.

What we know:

More than a year after the devastating wildfire, families continue to pick up the pieces, which is especially true for Altadena’s historic Black community. Not only did the blaze destroy lives, it also impacted a cultural legacy generations in the making.

This is highlighted in the new documentary, “Beneath the Ashes: The Past Reimagined,” which explores the aftermath.

What they’re saying:

NAACP Pasadena President Brandon Lamar and community artist Keni Arts talked about the documentary and their own experiences on Good Day LA. Arts and his daughter lost their homes in the fire.

“It’s important to know what Altadena was like before the fire. A lot of just single-family homes, places that we’ve been there for years and years. And unfortunately, you know, a lot of good things are happening, but this is that same property the way it looks now. And we’re concerned that some developers are going to come in and just throw up big buildings,” Arts said.

Lamar added a major concern for him is that many of the impacted families don’t have the resources to rebuild.

“They bought their homes in the ’70s or the ’80s, some even in the ’90s, and never updated their insurance. So when the fire happened, they had low insurance or they didn’t transfer over the deed from one family member to the next living one. Which also means that they didn’t get certain resources. So in order to rebuild, families need resources in order to do that. And that’s why we did this film, so that people can see the real truth of what’s happening within our community. Not only are there some people that are rebuilding, but there are also a lot of people that are fighting to just stay in their community,” Lamar said.

SUGGESTED COVERAGE: Eaton Fire decimates one of LA’s historic Black communities

By the numbers:

Lamar said part of his fight is to keep the diversity of the African American community.

“It is projected that after the fire it will be below 5% because of the resources that are there. But also 15 years ago, we were at 25% African American, right? And so, we see the decline happening because of pricing and so many things that are happening within just a region of California, right. And so this is a real issue that happened. But it’s not just here—this is happening after every single disaster. Communities of color are disrupted after disasters because of the lack of resources or even the lack of education of keeping up.”

What’s next:

The documentary will premiere Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m. at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

For tickets and more information, visit beneaththeashes.com.