Within the rebuilt community of Altadena, we welcome homeowners one year after the Eaton Fire
More than a year after the deadly Eaton fire devastated Altadena, CA, the first homeowners are preparing to move into a new residential community as the area continues to recover from the destruction.
Construction The oak forest of Altadenaa 16-home subdivision on the north side of town, was completed in November 2024, just two months before the wildfire engulfed the area.
By the time the flames were fully contained in late January 2025, seven of the brand new homes were in ruins, an eighth was severely charred and several others were scarred from smoke damage.
Rebecca Anbardanchairman of Warmington residential areathe California homebuilder who developed the subdivision says Realtor.com® that at the time of the disaster, seven homeowners had already moved in and were living in their new properties, and several adjacent homes were in escrow.
These families were among the approximately 100,000 people displaced in the immediate aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, which burned large portions of Altadena and Pacific Palisades, CA.
The twin fires killed at least 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures — an estimated 12,000 homes — including about 9,000 in the Eaton fire zone.
Nine months after the disaster, 70% of households that lost their homes remained displaced, according to a survey conducted in October by the Department of Angelsa fire restoration organization.
To date, 1,669 building permits have been issued and 13 homes have been rebuilt in and around Altadena, according to the Los Angeles County report. allowing progress dashboard.
In Altadena’s The Oak Grove, construction crews hired by Warmington Residential — and paid for by homeowners’ insurance companies — have been rebuilding their fire-ravaged properties since last August.
Anbardan says the rebuilding process for her company went relatively smoothly for one simple reason: They had completed construction on the original homes just two months before the fires, so all they had to do was have the county reissue their previously approved building permits.
“We didn’t have to come in and present construction plans, go over the planning, construction and safety,” she explains. “That was all already taken care of, because we had just experienced it. So it was actually not a challenging process for us.”
The displaced families even had the opportunity to personalize their new homes, selecting everything from updated flooring and paint colors to bathroom fixtures.
The homes will all be rebuilt at the same time and move-in day for the returning homeowners has been set for April. Anbardan says she expects it will be a healing moment for the community.
When the developer started selling in October, the first rebuilt house sold in just 15 minutes. In addition to the quick sale, Warmington’s model home developed into a haven for the neighborhood.
“It was great to see how many people just wanted to have a place,” Anbardan says. “Our model [home] became a kind of living room of the community. And people came in and had coffee and hung out and met friends.”
Warmington will offer eight new construction homes for sale in the subdivision. The first two have already been listed, including a four-bedroom, 2,653-square-foot home with an asking price of $1,649,000, and a five-bedroom, 2,857-square-foot property priced at just over $1,699,000.
According to Realtor.com’s analysis of housing data, the average list price in Altadena increased 32% between December 2024, just before the fires, and December 2025, from $1.31 million to $1.73 million.
Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner says the sharp increase in prices has been driven by larger properties coming onto the market.
