For the first time since the Eaton Fire decimated Altadena in early January, longtime mail carriers resumed their regular routes, albeit in a completely unfamiliar environment.
“All of us were very anxious to get back out here and get to our routes and see who was still there,” said Heather Gonzalez.
She’s one of the U.S. Postal Service carriers who has been delivering mail to Altadena homes for decades.
In the past thirty-odd years, Gonzalez has learned the streets by heart and gotten to know the families living on every block. But when she returned, the once-familiar neighborhood turned into an unrecognizable wasteland of scorched earth.
“It doesn’t even look like the same area anymore. When you know every, every family that was in those homes, it’s a lot,” she said.
