LOS ANGELES — Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have organized a victims fund to support those affected by the Eaton Fire, which devastated Altadena, California, during most of the month of January.
The blaze killed at least 17 and destroyed over 9,000 buildings, making it the second most destructive in the history of the state. The affected city is one of the most diverse in Los Angeles County, including a sizable middle-class Black population with roots in the early 20th century.
“Despite the historical and ongoing challenges, Altadena has stood as a beacon of resilience,” reads a statement from the African American Catholic Center for Evangelization (AACCFE), which is organizing the Altadena Wildfire Victims Fund.
“Exempt from the illegal redlining policies that hindered African American property ownership in much of California, Altadena blossomed into one of the state's first middle-class African American neighborhoods. At one point, it was home to 80% African American residents.”
Black Catholics affected by the #EatonFire are calling for people over profits. They’re not “walking away,” from the “community that understands…and has the same values” as them.
— Archdiocese of LA (@lacatholics) January 28, 2025
Read about their rebuild efforts and how to help on @angelusnews: https://t.co/lALiPwtGB3
One of the city’s parishes, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, has long boasted a sizable Black membership and was saved on Jan. 8 by parishioners who helped extinguish flames on the roof. It has since become a resource hub for residents in need of essentials.
Trena Spurlock, a local educator and member of the church’s gospel choir, escaped the fire but lost everything when her home succumbed to the flames.
“I sat there and contemplated the enormous loss of my home and all that goes with it… Two things that were distinguishable, a red radio flyer wagon and the little red trike that my children used when they were little, and my grandchildren used when they visited, they were just sitting in the yard untouched,” Spurlock wrote in a Feb. 1 update on her GoFundMe, which has raised more than $14,000.
“I see this as a reminder that we have been truly blessed and as a symbol to remind us [that] even though our home was gone, we have each other, and our memories will last forever.”
The AACCFE has set a goal of $10,000 in funds raised before offering grants to those affected by the Eaton Fire, which burned simultaneously with other major wildfires in the L.A. area. Among them was the third-most destructive in state history, the Palisades Fire.
The local Black Catholic Association, consisting of members at Catholic parishes in the larger San Gabriel Valley region, has also continued its work of supporting the local community.
An official investigation into the cause of the Eaton Fire is ongoing. Social media videos from residents depicted the early onset of flames in the local foothills at the base of an electrical tower operated by Southern California Edison.
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that SCE has acknowledged the likelihood of a link between their equipment and the fire.
Several lawsuits have since been filed against the company for alleged violations of safety codes amid weather conditions that local officials had determined were hazardous for fire events. The Eaton Fire was fully contained by Jan. 31.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
