"It's a tough time for everybody, and I want people to be hopeful. Don't give up," said Yolanda Williams, the organizer of Sunday's event.
That's the message behind the first annual Altadena Candlelight Vigil, a night designed to bring peace to a community still healing.
"There's nothing in the world that could have prepared me or anybody else for what I saw. It was beyond devastating," Williams said.
One year after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, the community came back together, lighting candles to remember the exact moment people's lives changed on Jan. 8, 2025.
The fire killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings.
While there is hope in the air, there is also frustration as many families are still battling insurance and waiting to rebuild.
"It's a hard week to know that it's been 365 days and to see where we are today -- not much movement for us. Our home stands, but we can't go back," said fire victim Florence Nguyen-Quang.
The focus of Sunday night's event was on the people who carried each other through the darkest moments.
"Honestly, without the community, I personally would not have been able to make it... People have come together in ways that are unimaginable," Nguyen-Quang said.
Event organizers say they plan to make this an annual tradition so the community always has a place to come back to -- not just to remember, but to heal.