In Fire-Scarred Altadena, Some Residents Insist on Staying Put

Standing beside a bicycle, Juan Carranza told neighbors how National Guard troops had just stopped his niece from handing him a delivery of hot Mexican food at the edge of the Altadena evacuation zone.Nearby, next to some avocado trees, Kristopher Carbone’s generator let out a final distressed sputter.Up the road, Paul Harter pulled his 7-year-old son, Gavin, in a small wagon, both urgently looking for one of the portable toilets brought in by emergency workers.There was no electricity, no safe running water, no natural gas.Yet these remaining residents in Altadena considered themselves the lucky ones because their homes had survived.It has been more than a week since powerful winds pushed the Eaton fire down a mountain range and into this town of 43,000 residents, killing at least 16 people and leveling thousands of homes.

Since then, the authorities have closed off the town and kept out those who live here.Officials believe that no one should be living in the evacuation zone, regardless of their wherewithal or their supplies.Utility crews continue to clear downed power lines, while workers with chain saws remove fallen trees and debris.

Burned homes have left a swirl of toxic materials, and ash lingers in the air.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....