Help Al and Dorsey League Recover after the Eaton Fire

This fundraiser is for our neighbors Al and Dorsey League, who lost their home of over 50 years in the Eaton Fire that destroyed much of Altadena, CA.

On the night of 1/7 when we were evacuating, I went to check on Al and Dorsey to see if they were home and knew about the fire. The fire was still in its early stages, but we could see the fire’s glow in the distance from our driveways. It was already night and we had been without power for the whole day, and the winds were raging above 60 mph. While Sharon, Emilio, and our cats waited in the car on the street, I walked to Al and Dorsey’s door using my phone as a flashlight. I knocked on the door and didn’t hear a response. I knocked again and kept knocking for several minutes, suspecting they were probably home because their vehicles were parked where they usually are. After several minutes I finally heard Al’s voice on the other side of the door. I asked him if they were okay, and he said they were. I asked him if they knew about the fire, and they didn’t. I told him it was time to evacuate and that I could see the fire from his driveway, and he told me he was going to go wake up Dorsey.

I’m so glad Al and Dorsey left that night and are safe. The next day, I drove back into Altadena, with much effort, because most of the roads were closed by police and many structures were still burning. I navigated a maze of small streets, driving cautiously, and after a couple of hours I made it back to our street which was blocked by a giant tree that had fallen. I got out of my car and was about to start walking around the tree toward our homes when I saw a familiar car approach. It was Al and Dorsey, arriving at the same time by complete coincidence. They were both shocked to see their neighborhood destroyed, and Dorsey chose not to leave the car. Al and I walked over some rubble to get around the tree, avoiding areas that were still burning or smoking, and walked toward our houses, which no longer existed except for their chimneys. I also saw what was left of Al’s Nissan 280ZX (pictured), which he had always told Emilio and I that he wanted to fix someday.

In the weeks since we have talked on the phone regularly and checked on each other. We no longer live across the street from each other, as we’ve relocated to different neighborhoods, but the experience has brought us closer.

I have been asking Al to set up this GoFundMe since the days after the fire, and he recently agreed and provided me with some of the photos I’ve shared here. Thank you for reading. I know that any support will mean so much to Al and Dorsey and will make a difference in their lives.