Memorial Service for Eaton Fire’s 18 Victims Planned for 6-Month Anniversary Monday

Six months after the Eaton Fire killed 18 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures, local residents and grassroots community leaders plan to gather for a memorial Monday evening — even as survivors of the devastating wildfire face daunting rebuilding crises.

The 7 p.m. vigil at 181 E. Las Flores Drive — near where victim Evelyn McClendon lived — is being organized by a coalition that brings together LA Voice, Black Events LA, the Pasadena NAACP Branch, My Tribe Rise, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

“Eighteen souls, who passed away. And we want to let them know that they didn’t die in vain, that they’re bringing our communities together,”  said Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Labor Organizing Network.

Monday’s memorial rededicates what organizers said they hope will be sustained advocacy for both the dead and the living — those who survived the flames only to face a different kind of disaster six months later.

Emergency housing funds have expired for many families who lost everything in the January blaze, forcing fire victims into the streets while they battle insurance companies over coverage for homes they’ve insured for decades.

“What we are noticing is that there is a pattern happening where people are now becoming at a state of unhoused,” said Heavenly Hughes, executive director of My Tribe Rise, one of five community organizations hosting the memorial. “Many people have run out of that emergency funding for housing since it has been so difficult to be able to lease and find temporary and permanent housing.”

Hughes said insurance disputes have emerged as the primary obstacle to rebuilding. Many families are discovering their decades-old policies haven’t been updated to cover current construction costs.

“Many of the clients that we have, they’ve had their insurance policies for 40, 50, 60, 70 years, and they have not been upgraded to be current, to be able to cover the cost of such loss that we have experienced in this catastrophe,” Hughes said. “I feel like the insurance companies should be held accountable.”

The Pasadena Branch of the NAACP said it has channeled over $5 million to affected families through partnerships with the California Black Freedom Fund and Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD Foundation. But organization president Brandon Lamar says money alone isn’t solving the insurance crisis.

“The real thing about recovery is that it takes resources for families in order for them to recover. It takes money for them to recover, right? And we’re still finding situations where families are still battling with their insurance companies,” Lamar said.

Looking ahead to rebuilding, the event’s organizers point to what they say is the need for systemic changes — and inclusive recovery efforts.

“There’s no way that you can rebuild … Altadena and Palisades and all the places that were impacted by the fires …  without migrant labor, without day laborers, without construction workers,” Alvarado said.

Lamar called for accountability beyond natural causes: “This was still negligence, right? Yes. It was windy. There was wind, but the fire did not start because of the wind… We also have to make sure that as we rebuild in Altadena, that we do our best… we have to take power lines from above ground to underground.”