Amid wild winds, flames, debris and uncertainty, Eaton Canyon fire evacuees find shelter at Pasadena church

Dorothy Clark sat inside an office at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Tuesday night, still stunned at what just happened, and uncertain about what comes next.

Earlier in the day, she’d been tuned into the firestorm breaking out far across Los Angeles County, in Pacific Palisades, where furious Santa Ana winds fueled a massive brush blaze that forced thousands from their homes as it raced toward Malibu on the west and Santa Monica on the southeast.

By late Tuesday night, in north Pasadena, the Eaton Canyon fire, itself whipped up by a relentless windstorm that lasted hours, threatened her own home and those of her neighbors on Sierra Bonita Avenue.

“It’s the strangest feeling,” said Clark, 88. “I’ve never ever had an experience that replicated in any way a wandering soul with no place to go. To go through this kind of experience was just a bit much more than I bargained for.”

She was not alone. Evacuees from the Eaton Canyon fire began walking through the doors of All Saints Church, where the Rev. Susan Russell was busy greeting and ushering a gradually increasing number of evacuees. By around 10:30 p.m., more than 30 had arrived for shelter.

Among them was Clark, whose housekeeper, Miriam Sandoval – also an evacuee living nearby — came to pick up Clark and get her out of there.

They drove around not sure where to go, and then heard on the radio that All Saints was opening up as shelter.

Russell said initially officials opened up the church to impacted congregants, but then they decided to open up to anyone.

By late Tuesday, it was clear word was getting out — and so was a sense of community and unity.

There was the legally blind daughter who brought her wheelchair-bound mother, driven to the church free of charge by an Uber driver — somebody named “Michael,” Russell said.

There was the rabbi from a Highland Park who happens to live in Pasadena, who simply jumped in to help welcome and usher in evacuees at the church, despite the fact that his own childhood temple,

“I’d been meaning to come over and introduce myself for over a year now,” said Rabbi Alex Weisz, of Temple Beth Israel in Highland Park. “So, now was a good time to do it.”

Weisz was busy helping out, trying to put in the back of his mind concerns about the fate of his own home, and similar concern for his parents’ home – they were evacuated — and the fate of his childhood temple, Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, near Eaton Canyon.

“I’m just trying to take it all in. But first things first. Just trying to give folks a hand here.”

That’s what Miriam Sandoval was doing, too, after she called Clark’s daughter to let her know she would pick up Clark and drive her away from the blaze.

Sandoval, too, was uncertain about the fate of her own home near New York and Altadena Drive, which flames were threatening as she was fleeing the neighborhood, she said.

“The fire is like a block from my house,” she said, noting that she grabbed a few important documents and got out.

Across the city there were many signs late Tuesday of a relentless windstorm that by evening ravaged the area. Downed trees blocked city streets. The smell of smoke was heavy. Wind gusts continued through the evening, with some estimates reaching 80 mph and more.

A stretch of Green Street between Marengo and Euclid avenues was closed off as the city sheltered about 200 residents of an assisted living facility who had been evacuated as fire raged around them.

“Police did a great job evacuating residents as the structure was burning adjacent to them,” City spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. in the area of Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the hills above Altadena, according to Cal Fire.

Initially dubbed the Close Fire but later changed to the Eaton Fire, the blaze was initially estimated at about 10 acres, but it quickly exploded across 200 acres, then to 400 acres by 8 p.m., thanks to Santa Ana winds that prompted critical fire danger warnings throughout the region.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for the area north of New York Drive, east of Altadena Drive and west of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, the ANF reported. Authorities were working to establish an evacuation center.

It was unclear how many people were impacted by the order.

There were multiple reports of crews responding to people who were trapped within the burn area, but there were no reports of any injuries. An unknown number of structures were damaged by the flames.

Back at All Saints, people continued to arrive, young and old, as the wind roared outside.

Russell, the reverend, braced for an all-nighter, thankful the church could “leverage” its substantial resources to be of service — “to do what Jesus would do.”

Weisz echoed her.

“I think that’s exactly what communities of faith are here for, is to have our doors open in moments of crisis like this, whether it’s moments of crisis or moments to celebrate together in good times. Unfortunately, right now we find ourselves in the midst of crisis and so I’m grateful to All Saints for opening up their doors. That’s why I’m here and happy to help.”

Clark was thankful she had a place to go, when “you feel like your options are zero. It’s the most dismaying experience I think I’ve ever had.”

City News Service contributed to this report