Eaton fire victim must start over. He begins by volunteering with the people who helped him
Less than a week ago, Fernando Villaluna lost nearly everything.
The 72-year-old was startled awake about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday by 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 with his essential documents and left his Altadena rental cottage, driving his Toyota Corolla south down Fair Oaks Avenue as both sides of the roadway were licked by flames.
Read more: Crews improve containment on Palisades, Eaton fires; some residents allowed to return
He arrived at his daughter’s house in Westchester early that morning.
“I mean, for a couple of days I was in shock,” said Villaluna, who retired from a career in information technology. “I didn't realize I was in shock, but nothing would register in my mind. You know, until Thursday, it started dawning that, ‘Oh, my God, I lost everything.’ Then Friday it was really like, ‘Gee, how am I gonna start over? Where am I gonna go? How am I gonna do this?'"
His first step in rebuilding was to stop by the Westchester YMCA, which was offering donated items to fire victims. Last weekend, he picked up pants, shirts, underwear, shoes and slippers.
Read more: How to help those affected by fires raging across Los Angeles County
“It was overwhelming,” Villaluna said, tearing up. “The woman who helped me was wonderful. See, all my life I’m giving, and now I'm receiving.”
On Monday, Villaluna was wearing those donated garments at the YMCA, where he spent the entire day directing traffic and helping unload small items. He said he wanted to give back and say thanks to the volunteers who helped him.
Read more: Where you can volunteer to help those affected by L.A.'s fires
“I’d rather be here because it gets my mind out of my misery," he said.
“I've been through hardship. I've been through tough times," Villaluna said. "But I'm just tired of fighting. And this happens, well, gonna have to do it again.
"You did it before, you know, do it again.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
