A day after the devastating fire began sweeping through Altadena, California, Steve Crowder reached out to the town council chairperson.
Crowder knows what the city is facing.
He is Mayor of Paradise, California, where 95% of the town was destroyed in the Camp Fire six years ago and more than 80 people were killed.
Crowder lost his house, his business and his cars but not his hope.
He called Victoria Knapp to let her know she is not alone. He offered support and guidance to get through the myriad of problems he knows the community will face.
Elected to the Paradise city council two days before the Camp Fire, Crowder recalled surveying the town and thinking “It looked like a nuclear bomb went off. How the hell do you ever come back from this?”
He told Knapp, “Trust me, there will be light at the end of the tunnel, you will get there and if you keep that in mind it will make a whole lot of difference.”
Paradise’s population was about 26,000 the day of the fire. Today it is 11,000 and growing.
“We are by no means rebuilt, but we are way ahead of where everyone predicted. We knew it would be a 20-year rebuild.”
The Altadena fire is also personal for Crowder. His stepdaughter and her husband lost their home in the fire.
“She’s a strong girl,” he said, noting when his neighbors in Paradise heard about her house, 175 people reached out, with many offering help.
