Habitat for Humanity starts rebuilding homes lost in Eaton Fire with 'Walls of Hope'

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Many people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire have lost hope when it comes to rebuilding.

Most families thought it would be years before they'd have a home again, but thanks to Habitat for Humanity, it could be much sooner than that.

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity (SGV Habitat) kicked off its Eaton Fire rebuilding efforts Thursday with Walls of Hope, a two-day event bringing together more than 400 donors and supporters to help build the first walls and framing components of new homes.

SGV Habitat CEO Bryan Wong said the organization is working on building homes for 27 people. He said that in that group, the average homeowner age is 72.

"The first family that we're looking at, they have three generations that were in the area, that owned houses," said Wong.

One of the first Habitat for Humanity homes will go to 85-year-old Kenneth Wood Sr. He and some of his children lost their homes in the fire, and thought it would take years for his home to be rebuilt.

The goal is to give him the keys to his new home in a matter of months.

"When I heard it's possible it might be back within a year, I thought, 'Now that's impossible. That's not going to happen,'" he said. "This is beyond any belief I had. I lost everything. All my memories and things went with the house. This is a wonderful thing to happen to me."

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger recently announced that more than 5,000 fire-damaged properties have been cleared of debris by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

SGV Habitat said it was the first organization to receive a rebuild permit in Altadena.

"Being the first to receive a permit in Altadena is a huge moment-it's a beacon of hope for the entire community," said Wong.

The team of architects wanted to rebuild what Altadena homes looked like before the Eaton Fire destroyed them.

"We wanted to help our friends, our neighbors who were not as fortunate and lost their home and who need solutions to stay here," said architect Alex Athenson. "But quality solutions that are not only going to preserve the people, save as many people as possible, but also retain the place well."

SGV Habitat relies on donations to keep helping victims of the Eaton Fire.