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What Six Families Took With Them As They Fled Fires
The Wall Street Journal|January 28, 2025
Families fleeing deadly Los. Angeles wildfires often had moments to decide what to bring with them. Many never imagined that it would be the last time they saw their homes.
- JENNA SCHOENEFELD AND ALEXA CORSE
What Six Families Took With Them As They Fled Fires

What to grab in the face of danger? There is the practical-passports, Social Security cards and wallets-and the personal. Among the wreckage in the houses that burned were works of art, photographs, musical instruments and heirlooms passed down for generations.

Families who spoke to The Wall Street Journal said they were grateful to be physically safe. Even so, they were struggling to grapple with losing homes, possessions and community spaces curated over decades.

1. Jordan Gaskins, 42 years old, and Lauren Randolph, 39, rushed to evacuate from Altadena with their children and dog. They grabbed practical items such as a safe with important documents. They also took special sentimental items, including a painting of their wedding, a portrait of Gaskins made by a friend, and a ring containing a stone that belonged to Randolph's grandmother.

The items they brought for their daughters included favorite blankets, toys and a Yoto, an audio player designed for children. Randolph said she asked the girls to each grab a backpack and fill it with items that were meaningful to them.

"We thought we would have time to come back, so the goal was just to really grab a couple of essentials initially," Gaskins said.

This story is from the January 28, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.

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This story is from the January 28, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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