I can't believe that I have to write something like this but like many others in the Altadena community, my family lost everything to the Eaton Fire, which still burns the mountains behind where our house once stood.

I live out of state so when I saw my sister, Sierra called me Tuesday night I thought she wanted to confirm the Christmas gifts she sent had arrived. Instead I get my sister’s panicked voice yelling "The mountains are burning! The mountains are burning!"

The next call I get from my family is that they are desperately trying to wrangle 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a bearded dragon into their cars. My father and brother-in-law were trying to pry the driveway gate open with a crowbar since it was stuck shut. I spent hours using Google Maps and other traffic websites to direct my family through the smoke, traffic, and downed trees to escape the fire. They got somewhere safe and said they’d call back once they get some rest.

At 9:52 AM on Wednesday, January 8th, my dad called me and said, “Coco, the house is gone. Everything is gone.”

That's how we got there. After taking a few days to grieve and process, my family is looking at the next steps for the future. My mother literally only has the pajamas that she was wearing when she got in the car. They couldn't get any important documents or photos out. In a very literal sense, they got out with the clothes on their backs.

As it stands now, they will need to rent somewhere to house the 4 of them and their 6 pets. It will probably take 2 years before they will be able to rebuild their home. They also need clothes, food, pet supplies and every other basic living essentials. That costs a lot of money. More than they can shoulder. More than I can give.

So please consider donating to help them find safety, shelter, and security as they try to figure out how to continue on after this terrible tragedy.

Here are some photos of my family and the house.

Stephen, Linda, Sierra and Fernando - Christmas 2024

What left of the house (and then you can see what's left of the neighbors behind us)

I, Nikola Douglas-Tavani, am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my family: Stephen Tavani, Linda Tavani, Sierra Becerra Tavani, and Fernando Becerra Tavani who lost their home in Altadena, Ca.