A vigil honoring those who passed during the Altadena wildfire in 2025

It was a chilly night on Wednesday, but it didn’t stop hundreds of people who gathered at the parking lot of Fair Oaks Burger in Altadena to honor the 19 people who died during the Eaton Fire in Altadena. 

Oorganized by survivors for survivors so they can continue coping with loss and to let them know they are not alone, the event included music from Los Jornaleros del Norte, a program with prayer and lots of small candles honoring those who passed. 

Brenda Lopez, community organizer with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), said the event aimed to bring recognition and show how far they have come but also how much more they need. 

“Whether that be people still dealing with insurance companies, navigating FEMA, public adjusters and even just finding housing for people, this event has come all together and to heal together,” she said. 

One of the attendees was Angelica Salas, known as the executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles (CHIRLA), was just another resident healing with her community.

Salas said she has lived most of her life in Pasadena along with her family, recalling that night when she was driving back home and saw the fire from the freeway.

“I could see the smoke starting, and as I was talking to my husband, I told him, ‘something is burning near our home,’ and that turned into this fire,” she said. “A lot of my family lost their jobs because they were the housekeepers, the gardeners.”

Resources available for residents

During the vigil, the County of Los Angeles and various organizations were also offering information about how to proceed with some of the recovery process or how to fight for Altadena.

Members from 301 Organics were talking to people about restoration work and local composting host sites. 

Christine Lenches-Hinkel, founder and principal consultant for 301 Organics, said many people in the community still don’t know their soils are contaminated. Therefore, the business offers them soil testing. 

“We’ll do a full blown chemical analysis. We’ll do a biological analysis and then we’ll see what the results are and we’ll prescribe a treatment,” she said. 

Manuel Vicente, member of the Pasadena Community Job Center, said the recovery work is far from over and the work provided by documented and undocumented workers is paramount. 

He said that from the moment the center opened the doors to help victims of the fires, many people have grown to appreciate the work of the day laborers. 

“Despite the immigration raids, we have seen a very big appreciation for the day laborers,” he said. “Now we have groups organizing to protect Home Depots and corners where the jornaleros look for jobs.”