ALTEDENA, CA. — A California family with close ties to Pittsburgh is waiting to get their property back as clean-up crews go house to house with heavy machinery, clearing fire-ravaged properties.
The family invited Channel 11 Anchor Jennifer Tomazic to their neighborhood to give Pittsburghers a feel for what it’s like out there right now and to deliver a message.
“That’s where my kids grew up,” Sylvia Ramirez said while pointing to very few recognizable pieces of her family’s home in Altadena.
It was one of many in the neighborhood leveled by the wildfires earlier this year.
“I had a beautiful window, a huge window, that every morning I was able to see those mountains,” Sylvia said.
The Ramirez family made so many fond memories in that home. The memories are forever in the hearts, which are slowly being repaired.
a Sylvia said.
Not only belonging to her, but also to her husband, Carlos Sr., and their three kids: Carlos Jr., Adrian and Ariana.
Adrian plays football at Duquesne University (so did Carlos, Jr. before he graduated last December), and he spoke with Channel 11 Sports Anchor Shelby Cassesse in January, as he was finding out the reality of what was happening back home in Altadena.
His dad sent him a terrifying video as he tried to save what he could as the fire quickly surrounded their home.
>>> California wildfires destroy Duquesne football player’s family home
“Still got time: 5 to 10 minutes. So I said, ‘what do you need?’ She said ‘I don’t need anything just get out of there.’ And I’m like ‘what do you need?’” Carlos Sr. recalled about the conversation he had with his wife as the fire started taking over more of their home.
“Everything is replaceable, but what hurts us, what hurts me the most, is my memories. My photo albums: those aren’t replaceable,” Sylvia said.
A couple things are still standing after the fire: part of the carport in front of the home and the outdoor kitchen. But almost their whole neighborhood is gone. Chimney after chimney is almost all that visibly remains.
The heartbreak for the Ramirez family goes beyond just their front porch. Just steps away is the home where Carlos Sr. grew up, and where his parents lived.
“Try to get my mom and dad a house first. Start with them, maybe, then we’ll do us,” said Carlos, Sr.
Fortunately for them, Carlos Sr. is a contractor, and he’s already working on plans to rebuild both homes. Right now, he and many families are waiting for the process to play out.
Signs are up in front of many properties saying the hazardous materials removal is complete. Now, crews are working on clearing what were once family possessions, now rubble. They say they’re going to be doing just the cleanup portion for at least the next nine months.
“Like I tell my husband, one day we’ll have this again and it will be better,” said Sylvia.
That hope is fueled partly by Pittsburghers. Since the Ramirez family only had the clothes they left in that fateful day in January, their Duquesne University family stepped up big. Sylvia says they sent boxes of clothes, shoes, and blankets. There were so many things they couldn’t even fit all of it in a car at once.
“I want to thank Duquesne and [the] Pittsburgh area for all they’ve done for us,” Sylvia said. “It’s just amazing, I don’t know what else to tell them but thank you so much.”
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