BILLINGS — On Tuesday, Natalie Beasley, a Billings resident received a call from Raquel Suescun, her sister, explaining that she was evacuating her home in Pasadena, California, because of the Eaton Fire.
“I had asked (Suescun) what street she lived off of so that, maybe if I was watching the news, I could figure out if her house was okay or not because we didn’t really know," said Beasley.
Having other items already packed in go bags, Suescun said she grabbed her laptop, hard drives, and clothing before she left to stay with family 55 miles west of Pasadena.
“I’m becoming less hopeful that the house is still there," said Suescun on Thursday.
She said her conversations with Beasley keep her distracted from the "nightmare" that has claimed at least two to three of her friends' homes.
“When (Suescun) was getting her bachelor's, she did a lot of couch surfing," said Beasley. "So, I just think of that, and like, thinking of having to take a step back after you lose your home is gonna be really hard."
Despite the state of her home and possessions being unknown at the time of publishing, she said the greatest loss will be in community and culture, with many Altadena and Pasadena residents living in multi-generational working-class homes.
“A lot of culture in L.A. is in Altadena and Pasadena," said Suescun. "It’s very hard – for people that don’t live (in) or understand L.A., or (have not experienced) beautiful things in L.A., to understand what’s going on.”
She said she has seen most people come together while trying to protect each other's property and keep each other safe.
“It’s not about income anymore. Now, it’s like we’re all facing the same trauma," said Suescun. "That’s something that I never thought I would see from L.A.”
