In less than a week, Fernando Villaluna lost almost everything.
The 72-year-old man was woken up around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday by the sound of his landlord banging on his door. An adjacent home on West Las Flores Drive was engulfed by the Eaton Fire.
He grabbed a small bag containing the necessary documents, left his rental cottage in Altadena and drove south down Fair Oaks Avenue in his Toyota Corolla as flames licked both sides of the road.
He arrived at his daughter’s home in Westchester early that morning.
“So for a few days, I was in shock,” said Villaruna, who retired from a career in information technology. “I didn’t realize I was in shock, but I didn’t remember anything. You know, it wasn’t until Thursday that I was like, ‘Oh my god, I lost everything. ” I started to realize that. Then on Friday I was really like, “How do I start over?” where are you going? How do you do it? ”
His first step toward rebuilding was a stop at the Westchester YMCA, which was providing donated items to victims of the fire. Last weekend, he bought pants, shirts, underwear, shoes, and slippers.
“I was overwhelmed,” Villaluna said through tears. “The woman who helped me was an amazing person. Look, I’ve given my whole life and now I’m receiving it.”
On Monday, Villaluna spent the day at the YMCA wearing donated clothing and helping direct traffic and unload small items. He said he wanted to give back and show his gratitude to the volunteers who helped him.
“I would rather be here, because it takes my mind out of my misery,” he said.
“I’ve been through hard times. I’ve been through tough times,” Villaluna said. “But I’m tired of fighting, and then this happens, well, I’m going to have to do it again.
“You’ve done it before, please do it again.”
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