Sunday, March 15, 2026

Summit Today Brings Turnkey Builders to Altadena Fire Survivors Under One Roof

Five organizations partner with Supervisor Barger to offer free workshops and vetted rebuilding options at Loma Alta Park

Fourteen months after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures across Altadena, a free summit on Sunday will give survivors a single destination to meet vetted turnkey builders and explore streamlined options for getting back into their homes.

The Altadena Turnkey Rebuild Summit, organized by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and five partner organizations, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Loma Alta Park’s gym, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. The event targets fire survivors who are underfunded or overwhelmed by the complexity of reconstruction — offering speaker presentations, practical workshops, and face-to-face meetings with housing professionals, according to a press release from Barger’s office.

The summit’s focus is turnkey rebuilding, a model in which a single builder handles design, permitting, and construction so the homeowner receives a move-in-ready home. For survivors navigating fragmented contracts and unpredictable costs more than a year after the Jan. 7, 2025, fire, the approach aims to reduce what Barger called “decision fatigue.”

“The road to recovery after a disaster can feel overwhelming,” Barger said in the statement. “Even though it’s been over a year since the wildfires, many survivors are still struggling.”

She called the summit “a valuable opportunity that provides easily accessible guidance, resources, and professional connections — all in one place, and in a single afternoon.”

Five organizations are partnering to stage the event. The Building Industry Association of Southern California, a trade association founded in 1923 that represents more than 1,600 member companies, is joined by the Builders Alliance, a nonprofit formed after the January 2025 fires that operates an online portal matching homeowners with builders, according to the press release. The Altadena Collective, a grassroots group of local design professionals coordinating affordable rebuild options through collective bargaining, is also a partner. The Foothill Catalog Foundation, which offers pre-approved home designs modeled on Altadena’s historic architectural styles to speed permitting and reduce costs, rounds out the group alongside the Altadena Recovery and Rebuild Corporation, the long-term recovery organization developed by Barger and community partners.

The Eaton Fire ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon and burned more than 14,000 acres before it was fully contained on Jan. 31, 2025, according to Cal Fire. The blaze killed at least 19 people and destroyed 9,414 structures, making it the second most destructive wildfire in California history.

The summit is free and open to all Eaton Fire-affected residents. Lunch will be provided. Attendees can register by contacting (626) 344-7394 or emailing info@arrcaltadena.org. Information is also available through the office of Supervisor Barger at (213) 453-4316 or hchavez@bos.lacounty.gov.

“I encourage Eaton Fire survivors to attend and take advantage of this free event,” Barger said.