Brandon Castro lost everything in the fire. On Thanksgiving, he was gifted with an RV that now sits on the site of what used to be his Altadena home.
"The word I keep using is hope. It allows me to know that I don't have to worry about next month's rent. That the land I own, I can continue to live on," he said as he fought back tears at the sight of a new welcome mat
Just a year before the fire destroyed everything Castro owned, he lost his mother and their homeowner's insurance, leaving him with nothing but a barren lot.
"How do you deal with building on it with no money? The RV is a huge gift."
The non-profit EmergencyRV made the surprising delivery to help Brandon recover.
Woody Faircloth and his daughter, Luna, started the nonprofit after the 2018 Camp Fire, and they've given 350 families in natural disasters across the country emergency shelter.
"He told us his dream was to have a family of his own some day as an adopted kid... So that's why we did a surprise today and gave him a brand new RV... and now he has a place to get back on his feet," Faircloth said.
Brandon suffered severe burns on his feet after nearly escaping the flames as they devoured everything in sight.
"I had my underwear and just a shirt. My car was out front, but the whole house was surrounded. Every single house was imploded. I ran 5 to 6 blocks to find safety."
Emergency RV has now delivered 38 motorhomes to families in the Eaton Fire burn zone.
"There's differences between the natural disasters themselves, but it's really just the same. People going through adversity looking for something to hang onto. I'm really glad we get to help assist in that. And we make a lot of friends along the way," said 13-year-old Luna.
For Brandon, the RV is a lifeline - one he knows so many in the burn zone still need.
"Please don't forget Altadena. There's a lot of folks that still need help."
Faircloth says their work is only possible thanks to the generosity of those who donate RVs and money. He says they hope to deliver more RVs to Eaton Fire victims.