Los Angeles fire devastates historic black community of Altadena

Quaint and charming, nestled in the foothills, Altadena seemed like a secret just outside of Los Angeles.

“I felt like it was like home — peaceful, quiet and a little secluded,” said Shirley Taylor, who grew up in North Carolina and arrived in 1979.

The city also offered something notable: a thriving community of middle-class black families. Ms. Taylor, an executive in the Social Security Administration, knew she and her two sons would fit in well.

She bought a three-bedroom Craftsman on Las Flores Drive for about $75,000 that had a view of the mountains from the master bedroom.

“Oh, it was beautiful,” she said. “I called it ‘my little country house’.”

Around them, a community flourishes. Everyone was an aunt, uncle or cousin. Neighborhood barbecues were lively events. Children played in the streets and rushed home when someone rang a bell as the sun set. A network of artists, county employees, workers and retirees flourished.

Today, the future of what was historically a black enclave within Altadena is in jeopardy, after Ms. Taylor and many other residents lost their homes in the raging Eaton Fire. Entire neighborhoods of this city of around 42,000 inhabitants have become deserts of ashes. The loss of homes is staggering. The loss of a unique haven, heartbreaking.