While my family was blessed to return to an unburnt house, thousands of others found only their chimney standing, their homes scorched remains strewn around it. We fought fires around our property and street while warding off potential looters, including one who ran through our backyard. When I re-entered my house months after the fire before the house was cleaned, I developed a severe headache if I remained indoors without a mask for 10 minutes. Some of these concerns are legitimate: several of my neighbors’ lots were purchased by Chinese developers, whose plans for the lots are unknown. State and local governments promise to build back better, but many residents want Altadena to be just the way it was.