Wildfire ravages historic Black community in Los Angeles

Bill Threadgill picked through the ashes of his home in Altadena, California, where he lived for 15 years, pulling out copper pipes and setting them aside to sell.

Only his chimney and two porch pillars remained standing, but nothing else. A wildfire had burned the whole structure to the ground.

Even before flames swept through the area, his family had struggled to make ends meet. “We’ve been stretched financially,” Threadgill, a handyman and caregiver, said through his N95 face mask.

On January 7, the Eaton Fire ignited in the nearby mountains, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. Fanned by hurricane-force winds, the fire damaged or destroyed more than 5,700 structures and killed at least 16 people.

It was one of a series of blazes that tore through the Los Angeles area over the last week and a half, intensified by climate change. All told, nearly 12,000 buildings have been consumed, and 25 people killed.

The fires could become one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history, with experts estimating $250bn in damage.

While multimillion-dollar homes were destroyed in the wealthy Pacific Palisades area, the working-class neighbourhood of Altadena was also devastated.

Some of the victims were elderly or disabled and could not flee. Threadgill himself lived with and cared for a 73-year-old friend whom he considers family. She was in short-term convalescent care at the time of the fire. She has no home to return to.

As he walked through the debris, he searched for his calico cat, Catra. “I hope that she got out, because I left the back door open for her to get out,” he said.

He looked at the spot where his front door used to be. “Won’t be entering here like this no more. Never again,” Threadgill said. “Uprooted unexpectedly. It’s devastating.”