L.A. Fires: A year later, four who served students

Joe Ford lives in El Monte, east of downtown Los Angeles.

He likes his neighbors, but he wishes he was living 15 miles north in Altadena, where his home burned last year.

“We deeply miss living in Altadena, where I was raised, as were my children,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to be able to live and work in Altadena all my life. Serving our youth and their families, there’s nothing better.”

Within 15 minutes of learning a fire was spreading this past January, Ford and his wife left their home and drove to Sycamores, a group home for foster youth where he works as chief program officer.

As fire embers flew around them, Ford and three other staff members evacuated the 16 boys who lived at the home to a Sycamores office outside the fire zone. The boys stayed there for the next 20 days, keeping up with school virtually.

They asked for special items left behind. One boy wanted a photo of his grandmother; others were concerned about clothing they’d just received over the holidays, Ford said. He assured them they would replace anything lost in the fire. The home was littered with ash but remained standing. He knew the ordeal was stressful for the boys.

In the year since the fires, Ford and his wife have lived in two temporary homes before finding their current rental.

Since the fires, Ford’s challenge has been twofold: ensuring the youth have a semblance of normalcy in their temporary home, and working toward returning them to Sycamores. The 16 boys are now back with their families, living independently or remain at the group home.

“We know that they’re feeling the unprecedented chaos and instability, and so we just want to keep things as normal as possible and as routine,” said Ford, reflecting on the year. “And the best way to do that is staying connected to people that you know and love.”