Rising from the ashes: How fire survivors rebuild and return home in time for Thanksgiving

About a month ago, construction crews were still struggling and Ted Kohner couldn’t see the finish line. He’s not sure when he’ll be able to move back home to Altadena with his 13 1/2-year-old golden retriever, Daisy Mae.

Koerner’s home was destroyed in the Eton Fire in January, but he kept working and persevering, trying to speed up the rebuilding for Daisy’s sake and for his own. No matter how much time she has left, Korner told me He wanted her to be somewhere comfortable and happy come October.

“She’s almost 14 years old,” he said, which is well beyond the average lifespan for her breed.

On Tuesday, they returned home, and it’s hard to say who was happier.

“She’s been doing Zoom here,” Koerner said on the front lawn, his favorite spot to spend time with Daisy in their Hilltop home. He sipped his morning coffee there while Daisy sniffed around, taking shifts and admiring the million-dollar view that stretched all the way to Santa Catalina Island.

Koerner said friends and neighbors would come over during the holiday weekend to help celebrate the homecoming.

“A neighbor down the street didn’t have a fire, but he was cooking three turkeys,” Kohner said.

When the county inspector showed up Tuesday afternoon and told Koner he could move in, Koner activated the video tab on his phone and asked the inspector to repeat what he had just said.

“You have the right to move in tonight,” the inspector said.

Koerner is believed to be the first person to move into a rebuilt home in Altadena, where 19 people died and nearly 9,400 buildings were destroyed. Another Altadena project accessory dwelling unit, Also completed this month. On Friday, I visited the Pasadena home of Jun Lee and Bobby Lujan, who are about to move into their home.

“We have done final inspections,” Jun Li Lujan told me. “I don’t want to miss any vacation time.”

She said her new stove is on the way and she plans to pair it with a classic Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

“And pumpkin pie,” she said.

For victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires, quick returns are uncommon. The vast majority have either not yet begun the permitting process or are still in the early stages, and many remain undecided on whether to rebuild, in part due to financial considerations.

exist Palisades, first certificate of occupancy A “showcase” home was recently released that was built to market the development company’s work. Meanwhile, Palisades resident Craig Forrest, who lost everything in January, thinks his new house might be finished in a week or so, although he probably won’t move in until the New Year because his lease in Santa Monica runs until December.

So what’s the secret for him and others who successfully rebuilt in the same year as the fire? In Forrest’s case, he said, the secrets included “perseverance, courage, will, strength, staying the course, making decisions quickly, and having adequate financial wherewithal.”

Forrest told me having three teenagers was also a factor. Instead of falling into despair, he said he chose to stay optimistic and keep moving forward, “showing them what you do when something this painful and dramatic happens to you.”

As far as Li Jun is concerned, Lujan has internal advantages. She makes a living building houses.

Ted Koerner, 67, prepares to feed his dog Daisy May. Kona plans to have friends over for Thanksgiving. “The only accomplishment was getting home,” Koerner said.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“Having been a contractor, designer and project manager for many years, she knew what to do and how to do it quickly…she was a force of nature,” said her husband, Bobby Lujan, a musician and brother of the late Chicano artist Gilbert “Magu” Lujan.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who attended a Lujan housing open house on Tuesday, told me that bureaucratic hurdles and other challenges have hampered the redevelopment effort. But she met Luyan neighbors who were heartened by their swift return.

“It gives people hope,” Barger said. “Next week, two homes will be getting certificates of occupancy. One to two, five to 10. I feel like we’re on that path.”

Kona uses Daisy as a motivator and solves problems by running an investigation and fraud prevention company that deals with government agencies and various businesses. He knew he didn’t want to live in limbo for too long, especially after spending weeks living in a hotel in Old Pasadena with other evacuees.

“Everyone in the building is a victim,” Koerner said. “Every time the elevator opened … there would be people standing there, leaning against the wall and sobbing. I mean openly sobbing.”

Corner said landlords in the area were gouging tenants and he briefly considered living in his car before one of his employees offered a newly vacated La Crescenta space.

An Army Corps of Engineers official told Kohner that new foundation would be poured once the contamination was cleared, even though he had not yet received his insurance check. You don’t want to be “No. 2,200 in line,” Koerner was told.

Ted Koerner, 67, sits in the front yard of his new Altadena home with his dog, Daisy May.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

It’s good advice and fits Kona’s personality. He is not one to waste time overthinking things, and this is best reflected in his philosophy: a house is a house, not a museum of one’s creativity.

“Okay, are you going to spend nine days deciding on the color of the bathroom?” Koerner said. “Or you just pick one and live with it. It’s a toilet. It’s not a trophy.”

Koner plundered his retirement funds to get a head start on construction and said he would be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars once the insurance costs added up. But he will come home.

Koerner said whenever there was a pause in the county’s permitting mechanism, he made everyone aware of the situation, including the governor’s office. He said U.S. Rep. Judy Judi and Barger — one of the staffers called Koerner “tenacious” — helped get things moving.

Koerner also credits Jossef Abraham, construction manager at Innova Creative Solution, for understanding that it’s not just about building a house. It’s about getting a 67-year-old man struggling with homelessness and a dog in a final sprint back to where they need to be.

“We were here for six hours on Sunday, just us, and I brought her a bed and fed her here,” Kohner said. “As I lay on the floor next to her…she leaned over and started catching the tears, one drop at a time, as they rolled down my cheeks.”

Standing in his new kitchen, Kona reflects on everything and everyone he’s grateful for this holiday season. Old friends who offered support, new friends he made in La Crescenta near his temporary home, his builder and therapist who taught him “how to let things flow and be behind you.”

“I want to start by thanking Daisy for being strong enough to persevere,” Koerner said. “She’s always with me and it’s an answer to daily prayers.”

Kona and Daisy May played for a while in his new office, which glowed golden in the morning light.

Daisy seemed to be traveling back in time, like a dog, with her mouth open and eyes sparkling, appearing to be smiling.

Kona looks like it’s celebrating a double holiday – Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one.

steve.lopez@latimes.com