Altadena Bar Owner Drives Through Eaton Fire Disaster Zone to Help Survivors Determine If Their Homes Are Safe

Randy Clement, co-owner of Altadena's Good Neighbor BarEverson Royce Bar, and Silverlake Wine, has been on a mission since the Eaton Fire ravaged the area. Clement, his wife and partner April Langford, and their two children evacuated their home in Altadena on Tuesday, January 7, only to find themselves embarking on a mission to help residents find out an if their houses were burned or still standing. Access to the Altadena fire zone is strictly prohibited except for firefighters, investigators, and law enforcement.

many Altadena restaurants destroyed by Eaton Fireincluding Side Pie, Cafe De Leche, Rancho Bar, Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, Fox's Restaurant, and Amara Kitchen. Amid the unfolding news, Clement heard through the social grapevine that wildfire evacuees were seeking information about their homes and whether they were still standing. “I know how to go in and take a picture of properties, which helps give people closure, hope, and real understanding of their situation,” Clement said.

On Friday, January 10, Clement posted an offer on Instagram to look around Altadena for displaced residents who cannot access their neighborhoods. He was quickly inundated with messages from people desperate to know if they were still home. Others ask for their parents or grandparents. A young man asks to help Clement find his baseball card collection. Others asked to find cats, to feed leftover birds, to cover a broken window, or to check if a house had been robbed.

Clement borrowed a truck, repurposed the same app he used to map deliveries, and inserted the addresses to provide a route through Altadena. The couple visited as many properties as they could. Clement said it's hard to know if he's at the right house, because many of the address numbers are no longer there. After pulling up to a property, Clement or Langford would take a photo and tell the Altadena resident one of two messages: “Excuse me,” or “Here it is.”

From Friday, January 10 to Sunday, January 12, Clement and Langford raced against 6pm to 6am curfew enforced by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. As of January 13, all access to Altadena was limited, and Clement and Langford were unable to inspect many houses. Los Angeles County officials published a detailed map for fire survivors to check the status of their homes, which is updated regularly. There is also a detailed satellite map here.

During the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Clement and Langford happened to be in New York City. At the time, Clement was a server at the now-closed Los Angeles restaurant Campanile. He said he felt a similar state of shock at that event more than 23 years ago. Clement and Langford have not yet returned to their home in Altadena, and the Good Neighbor Bar remains closed without electrical service. Both structures are still intact. “When I first drove around Altadena, it was impossible to describe how bad and massive the destruction was. Altadena looked like Pompeii,” said Clement, referring to Mount Vesuvius. volcanic eruptionwhich covered and completely destroyed the Italian city of Pompeii in 79 AD “All Altadena was like that.”

Dylan Rupert for Spudge

Randy Clement