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

Randy Clement, co-owner of Good Neighbor Bar, Everson Royce Bar and Silver Lake Wine in Altadena, has been on duty since the Eaton Fire swept through the area. Clement, his wife and partner April Langford, and their two children were evacuated from their home in Altadena on Tuesday, January 7, but they have not been able to tell residents whether their home burned or is still standing. I decided to undertake the task of informing them. Access to the Altadena fire zone is strictly restricted except for firefighters, investigators, and law enforcement.

The Eaton Fire destroyed many Altadena restaurants, including Side Pie, Café de Leche, Rancho Bar, Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, Fox Restaurant, and Amara Kitchen. As the news spread, Clement heard on the social grapevine that wildfire evacuees were seeking information about their homes and whether they were still standing. “I knew how to sneak into properties and take pictures so I could give people closure, give them hope, and really understand their situation,” Clement said. says.

On Friday, Jan. 10, Clement posted on Instagram a proposal to explore the Altadena neighborhood in search of displaced people who don’t have access to neighborhoods. He was soon flooded with dozens of messages from people wanting to know if the house was still there. Some asked on behalf of their parents and grandparents. A boy asks Clement to help him find his baseball card collection. Some asked people to help find cats, feed stranded birds, hide broken windows and check if their homes had been ransacked.

Clement rented a truck and reused the same app he uses to plan deliveries, inputting addresses and providing directions through Altadena. The couple visited as many properties as they could. Clement said it was difficult to tell if she was in the right house because many address numbers were no longer available. After stopping by the property, Clement and Langford took photos and gave Altadena residents one of two messages: “I’m sorry” or “It’s here.”

From Friday, January 10th to Sunday, January 12th, Clement and Langford will be Curfew from 6pm to 6am Conducted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. As of Jan. 13, all access to Altadena is restricted, and Clement and Langford are currently unable to check on many homes. This was announced by Los Angeles County authorities. Detailed map Wildfire survivors will now be able to check the status of their homes and will be updated regularly. There is also. Click here for detailed satellite map.

Clement and Langford happened to be in New York City during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At the time, Clement was working as a server at the now-closed Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles. He says he feels the same shock he felt from that incident 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 electricity. Both structures are still intact. “When I drove around Altadena for the first time, it was impossible to describe how devastating and massive the destruction was. Altadena resembles Pompeii,” Clement said of Mount Vesuvius. Point and say. volcanic eruptionwhich covered and completely destroyed the Italian city of Pompeii in 79 AD. “There are ashes like that all over Altadena.”

Randy Clement