But there’s also the matter of fire risk. The Altadena plan discouraged development in the foothills because the state of California classifies them as extremely vulnerable to wildfire, but the Eaton Fire burned almost the entirety of the town, reaching almost two miles south of the fire zone and destroying homes that had never been seen as risky.

Students of an Altadena school that was burned to the ground during the Eaton Fire are getting a sense of normalcy back as its founder leads efforts toward recovery.