Friday, July 24, 2026

First Responders Honored at Eaton Fire Relief Day at Jackie Robinson Field

From left to right: NFL Quarterback Bryce Young, Officer Humberto Silva, Lieutenant Anthony Russo, Officer Jason Ha, and NFL Quarterback C.J. Stroud. [photo credit: City of Pasadena]

Eighteen months after a fire that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures, rebuilding permits have been issued for a fraction of what was lost

Pasadena and Los Angeles firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel who worked through the Eaton Fire were recognized Saturday, July 18, at Dena Day: Pass It Forward, an event at Jackie Robinson Memorial Field that the City of Pasadena said the San Gabriel Valley YMCA hosted for residents still recovering from the disaster.

The free event ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the field in Brookside Park. An event announcement described the day as hosted by the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles in partnership with the C.J. Stroud Foundation and the Young 9 Foundation, the mental health nonprofit founded by Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

Each department received a football signed by National Football League quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young, who spent time engaging with families and taking part in the day’s festivities, according to the city. The gathering offered resources and services for Eaton Fire victims, including fresh food, school supplies, family-friendly activities, inflatable games and chances to connect with organizations working to help the community recover and rebuild.

“Professionalism, courage, and commitment to service were on full display,” Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris said of his department’s members during the emergency. Harris also thanked residents, businesses and organizations that have continued to support the department.

Departmental staff who attended included retired Pasadena Police Department Commander Darryl Qualls, Lieutenant Anthony Russo, Officer Humberto Silva and Officer Jason Ha, according to the city.

The fire they were honored for remains among the worst in California history. It ignited Jan. 7, 2025, near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in Altadena, burned 14,021 acres over 24 days, destroyed about 9,400 structures and killed 19 people — the second-most destructive and fifth-deadliest wildfire on record in the state. A presidential major disaster declaration followed within days.

Recovery has moved far more slowly than the fire did. Los Angeles County, which issues building permits for unincorporated Altadena rather than the City of Pasadena, had received nearly 2,900 rebuilding permit applications by the start of January, of which 1,153 had been issued as of Jan. 2, 2026, with thousands still under review. A University of California, Los Angeles analysis in October 2025 found that nearly seven in 10 severely damaged homes showed no visible rebuilding activity.

The financial gap behind those figures is substantial. Construction in the Eaton burn area has been running near $570 per square foot, according to a Project Recovery survey, while the average home insurance coverage in Altadena stood at $607,000 as of 2023 — a shortfall that leaves many owners unable to replace what they lost even with a policy paid in full.

Altadena’s losses fell hardest on a community built by exclusion elsewhere. Redlining pushed Black Californians out of much of the region in the first half of the 20th century, and Altadena, particularly West Altadena, became one of the few places where Black families could own homes.

“We may get knocked down but we always get up,” then-City Manager Miguel Márquez said days after the fire began.