Castro, who won the record $2 billion jackpot in 2022, has spent about $10 million to buy 15 fire-scorched lots in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills, The Wall Street Journal reported. The 33-year-old, who bought his winning ticket at an Altadena gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue, has become one of the area’s largest post-fire land buyers.
The Eaton Fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures. More than 14,000 acres were charred by the blaze.
“I want to rebuild this place for families who want to live here.”
He said he is not constructing homes to “give them away,” but added that “profit margin should not be egregious.”
The son of a construction worker, Castro said he hopes to restore Altadena’s pre-fire character through single-family homes that evoke the town’s classic Craftsman charm.
“Like if you put all those houses pre-fire in a time bubble,” he said. He also plans to build his own home nearby.
Reactions among locals are mixed. Many praise Castro’s hometown ties, while others fear the influx of outside investors buying up burned-out parcels.
A petition opposing investor purchases has gathered more than 1,500 signatures, with residents worried Altadena could lose its small-town feel and cultural diversity.
Long known as a center of Black homeownership, Altadena saw families establish roots during the mid-20th century when redlining excluded them from other neighborhoods. Some now worry rising property values and post-fire buyouts will accelerate gentrification.
Still, others welcome Castro’s involvement.
Resident Zaire Calvin, who lost his home and sister in the January fires, told the Journal, “Billionaires should be the first ones in line to help,” adding that a partnership with Castro “would be great.”
Castro has assembled a small team — including architectural planners and a design consultant — to lead a 10-year rebuilding plan.
The first permits, for two Craftsman-style homes with attached residential units, have already been submitted to the city.
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