Rebuild Hope for Caiden Garcia's Family

My name is Caiden Garcia,

Through these devastating days, my family has lost our home to the Eaton Canyon wildfire on January 7th, 2025. We lived in Upper Hastings Ranch for over 7 years.

We are truly thankful that we were able to evacuate without harm in time before the fire arrived. My grandma lives with us and is handicapped, so we're just thankful that we got her out of the house. The lives of all of those who evacuated and lost their homes are more important than any belongings we lost to its destruction.

Our family had short notice to the evacuation in our area, and the Eaton Canyon fire was already approaching our community. While we came out with our lives, many valuables were lost: food, water, clothes, medication, records, devices, and many memories that were cherished in our family’s home. Additionally, our family kept many items that dated back over 70 years ago from our families and many others. My grandpa, who stayed at our house for the majority of the 2024 year, lost many items in the fire as well. These are only a few examples of what was lost in the Eaton Canyon wildfire; full recovery seems out of sight.

My mother is a single mother and the only source of income in our family, and my grandma’s health is at risk with the loss of our home. After I saw the state of our house after the fire, I felt like I lost a part of myself. The memories and moments my family cherished were burned away with our home. I have felt nothing but grief, and many times felt that there is no hope to push through this loss. The loss of a home isn’t just a loss of belongings, but a loss of ourselves. My family, like many others, have suffered from the consequences of having their home destroyed by this devastating fire.

We are truly grateful for the thoughts and prayers that we have gotten from many families who evacuated, lost their homes, or who are watching this devastation take place. I am thankful to those who still have me and my family in their hearts.

Financially, our family is in a difficult place and any support to rebuild our lives would mean so much to us. If you are able to support us financially, we are eternally grateful for your contribution to my family’s new beginning.