LOS ANGELES — The road to recovery is underway in Altadena, since the Eaton Fire ripped through neighborhoods back in January.

After thousands of homes were destroyed in the Eaton Fire, Margot Stueber’s property on West Palm Street was the first to have debris cleared by the Army Corp of Engineers and it's now the first to break ground and start construction.

What You Need To Know

  • Margot Stueber’s property on West Palm Street was the first to have debris cleared by the Army Corp of Engineers
  • Stueber’s property is the first residential property to break ground and start construction
  • Rebuilding timeline is estimated to take eight to 10 months

“It was just done. The last thing that was done was the roof two years ago and then in one terrible night, it was gone in a few hours,” Stueber said.

Construction that she said is long overdue.

“I don’t have real family in this country, so this is kind of my roots and where I, at the end of the day, relax. This was my life,” Stueber said.

Since her 100-year-old cottage-style home in Altadena burned down, she’s been working with architect Trinidad Campbell to design her new home. 

“I hope I’m opening the door for everyone else to come in. It means that I’m one of the ones that got the first permits and they’re starting to do them much quicker now,” Campbell said.

Campbell said Stueber’s new home is going to be the same square footage, but a completely different design and more fire resistant.

“I’m doing it out of cement blocks because of the experience, after walking through this total tragedy and disaster, is that the only things that were kept standing were the fireplaces, chimneys made out of brick and all the block walls,” Campbell said.

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A goal Campbell said more architects need to take advantage of when rebuilding.

“We’re used to working with block walls here. The retaining walls, there’s a lot of construction with block walls, it’s just, we haven’t used it in the houses, but I think it’s time to start,” Campbell said.

As for Stueber, she said she’s ready for her community to come back together and said her faith and hope are even stronger.

“That’s the token of hope. That’s the light, and it gets bigger. The more earth moved and the more I see, the more I let go of the old and focus on the new. That’s the healing process,” Stueber said.

She said she’s confident she designed the energy-efficient home of her dreams.

Stueber said the rebuilding timeline they are working with is about eight to 10 months, but she hopes to be moved in by Christmas.