Raymond Francis can hold in his hands all the things he saved from his home in Altadena, California, which was gutted by a wildfire.
One is a blue metal tin that holds his most amazing memorabilia—like NASA and military medals and commemorative rocks from a geological dig in Canada, clues about Francis' life and work.
Originally from Sudbury, Ont., he moved to Los Angeles a few years ago to work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in AI robotics.
The other keepsake is a Canadian maple leaf quilt made by his mother and grandmother, with all their names emblazoned in the corner.
Francis moved into his new home on December 15th. He was supposed to host his first dinner party there on the night of January 7 but instead fled, like thousands of others, as fire was pushed deep into suburban LA neighborhoods by Santa Ana strong wind from the east.
“It's very hard to lose everything. I had a vision of what the future would be after I settled into that house and it looks very different a- now,” he told CBC News.
His house and most of the others around him are gone. Streets in Altadena hit by the Eaton wildfire look like a confused war zone – with houses burned to the ground right next to a handful on the left completely intact, with oranges and lemons still hanging untouched in fruit trees.
The Canadian Consul General estimates that one million Canadians live in California, Arizona and Nevada. Los Angeles, in particular, has long been a draw for Canadians working in the entertainment, music and aviation industries. The fires took many of their lives and, for some, connections to Canada are evident in what they chose to save, and their future plans.
Sifting through ashes
Karyn Weber and her husband Rob plan to spend a few months in her hometown, Vancouver, while they plan to rebuild their home in the LA Palisades area. She says the lower Canadian dollar may help stretch their insurance money for the two years she expects the process to take.
“We've always talked about spending time there, and maybe this is our chance,” she said.
The family secured a month-to-month lease in Santa Monica, after a process Weber describes as “full.” The day after the fire, she began filling out applications for rent in the area only to be denied again. Even though California has anti-gouging laws, she says some people were offering to pay far more than the home's asking price, or telling landlords they would pay. them for a year in advance to rent the property.
“The prices are going higher and higher and higher,” she said. “It's also insane, because who has that kind of money? It's terrible.”
Musician Brian Hughes managed to save one guitar from his home and music studio in Alta Dena, California, after losing 40 others to wildfires that swept through the LA area last week.
The Webers were able to see what was left of their home on Saturday, when police were bringing escorts to the affected area. In the ashes, they found a teacup from her grandmother's bridal shower, her son's clay volcano from a school project ten years ago, and metal sheets from a trip to China.
She says the last saved memories will have a special place in their rebuilt home. In the rush to get out on Tuesday, her daughter also grabbed the most Canadian of essentials – ice skates.
“My son was a hockey player and my daughter was a big skater and we have our skates,” Weber said. “We're so Canadian.”
'It was paradise'
Guitarist Brian Hughes is relying on a network of Canadian friends, after his Altadena home and music studio were destroyed in the Eaton Fire. He and his wife Pamela are currently staying at a guest house in Venice Beach at a friend from Ontario and plan to spend several weeks at the Edmonton-raised guitar student's Pasadena condo, which the -currently on tour.
“We are lucky to land here with our good friends,” he said.
Hughes leads a touring band for Canadian singer-songwriter Lorena McKennitt, playing guitar and other stringed instruments such as the oud and balalaika. He saved one guitar, but 40 others, many old instruments with sentimental value, were destroyed in the fire. Hughes says 75 percent of the instruments he lost are “irreparable” and says his backyard studio, where he used to write and record, is huge. .
“It was paradise.” he said.
Hughes is not sure if he will build again in the same place. He doesn't think he will replace all the instruments he lost, saying this might be an opportunity to accumulate less assets.
“It's like we're starting over, starting our lives over,” he said.
