The community of Altadena was one of the hardest-hit areas of the devastating wildfires that ravaged the area back in January — and now, months after the Eaton fire, the very first home is finally being rebuilt. However, there is a long road ahead before normalcy returns.
Margot Stuebert was one of many Altadena residents who lost her home, a 100-year-old, three-bedroom cottage, the Eaton wildfire.
The following month in February, she was the first homeowner in the community to have the Army Corps of Engineers begin the debris removal process on her property.
When the local work crew officially broke ground on Stuebert’s rebuild in late April, her dreams of starting anew finally started to come to fruition. “It’s the first day of my new life,” she said of the rebuilding of her home. “After all the grief and loss, I now start to see myself here.”
“I want to have a modern house,” Stuebert added. “I have a unique chance to build whatever I like building.”
Architect Trinidad Campbell, who is working with Stuebert on her new home, spoke about the severely delayed timeline and how it is impacting fellow Altadena residents.
“It took us two months to get the permits, and I hope they can do it a bit faster because everybody is ready to rebuild,” Campbell said.
According to data from Los Angeles County, as of May 9, 2025, there have only been nine permits issued in the area destroyed by the Eaton fire, including the Altadena area, and there have also been no construction projects completed.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger acknowledged that the current permitting process is responsible for serious delays for Altadena homeowners who are anxious to rebuild, over four months after the fires.
Barger confirmed that she has plans to green-light self-certification to replace the current separate review processes that are responsible for delays.
The new plan, per Barger, allows Altadena homeowners who hire their own licensed engineer or architect to rebuild could use that person’s license and skip the currently lengthy review process.
Even California Gov. Gavin Newsom also criticized the delayed rebuilding process. “The current pace of issuing permits locally is not meeting the magnitude of the challenge we face,” he said back in April.
While the rebuilding speed is far from ideal, Altadena residents are now on the road to the next phase of their lives post-fire, and hopefully that phase is a happy and prosperous one.
SEE ALSO:
Altadena Businesses Struggle To Find Assistance For Cleanup And Debris Removal
Rebuilding Altadena: Small Business Loans Offered To Businesses Impacted By Eaton Fire
Months After the Eaton Fire, First Home Rebuild In Altadena Underway
was originally published on
newsone.com
