We Lost Our Home in the LA Fire

Chris and I lost our home and everything we own in the Eaton Wildfire. I've lived in California my whole life and faced multiple fire warnings, but I've never experienced this kind of loss firsthand. When we evacuated our home, we thought we'd be back the next morning. I started this video because I was obsessively checking my phone and experiencing severe anxiety. Speaking my mind on camera and talking through my emotions helped me get out of my head. I made this video not for attention or to sensationalize the fire, but to share my experience and give closure to the people who have supported me these past two years. I know many of you have been with me since we moved in, and I've shared so much of our home that it feels like your home too.

We lived in Altadena, a beautiful small town nestled under the mountains. The residents are some of the best people I've met—I've never had a single negative interaction with anyone during my two years living here. There's a lot of rhetoric online about the LA fire victims being wealthy people who can easily rebuild, and it makes me incredibly angry for my town. Altadena is full of working-class minorities (mostly Black & Brown) whose families have been here for 50+ years. They purchased these homes when they were less than $100k USD. The people here are community and family oriented. They work hard for what they have. It hurts to see fire victims' pain being minimized.

Chris and I made a GoFundme for ourselves to recoup our losses and help with rehousing. We received an outpouring of generosity and cried over and over reading messages from you all. We've received so much love. We are so privileged to have this support from our in-person and online community, and we want to extend our online community to our neighbors who do not have the reach.

Benji & Chris' Neighborhood GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/2a57ee6a
We are making this separate GoFundMe for the neighbors on our street who welcomed us with open arms when we moved in. None of this money will go to us. Without them, our time in Altadena wouldn't have been the same. We truly hope they rebuild and stay on the street—Altadena wouldn't be anything without its people.