All posts tagged: Eaton Fire

In fire-scarred Altadena, displaced congregations remain ‘in the wilderness’

In fire-scarred Altadena, displaced congregations remain ‘in the wilderness’

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — To drive the streets of Altadena now, a little over a year after the Eaton Fire, is to be confronted by acres of dirt — and greenery. The last of the charred debris was removed in August, and thanks to record-breaking winter rainfall, weeds and wild grasses have claimed many of the cleared lots.  The Eaton Fire was among the most devastating fires in California history, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 structures in this racially and economically diverse suburb of Los Angeles. More than a dozen of those buildings were houses of worship — like Masjid Al-Taqwa, Altadena’s first mosque. Jihad Abdus-Shakoor, whose parents helped found Masjid Al-Taqwa in the 1970s, spent much of his life within its walls. Today, all that remains of the mosque are its parking lot and street sign.  Abdus-Shakoor feels some relief at seeing rubble removed, but seeing the empty land is also “another blow,” he said. “You’re glad the city is cleaned up, but the finality of looking at dirt is a …

Miles Teller Had Wife’s Wedding Dress Remade After LA Wildfires

Miles Teller Had Wife’s Wedding Dress Remade After LA Wildfires

Miles Teller used Christmas to help restore some of what he and his wife lost when their home burned down in the wildfires that swept across Los Angeles in January. The couple, who lived in the Pacific Palisades, were able to safely evacuate but they, like so many others in Southern California, lost their home, and the belongings inside, to the fires. Documenting the destruction caused by the blazes on Instagram on Jan. 10, Keleigh Teller wrote in part, “Community has come out stronger than I could imagine. Pacific Palisades, I love you beyond measure… we will come back stronger than ever. I wish I grabbed my wedding dress, wish I did a lot different but it doesn’t matter, stay safe, get out. There are no words. THANK YOU to the first responders fighting.” On Friday, she shared that for Christmas, Miles Teller gave her a replica of her Monique Lhuillier gown from their 2019 nuptials. In a video seemingly recorded by Miles of her opening her present, she sports a Santa hat and festive …