Marshall Fire victim in Colorado loses childhood home in California wildfires
It can be hard to imagine experiencing the loss of one home from a wildfire, let alone two. Yet, that is exactly what Boulder resident Christian Maljian is facing right now, amid the ongoing wildfires in California.
"I'll miss all of it," said Christian.
Christian spoke with CBS Colorado as he FaceTimed his sister Natalie Maljian. She held up her phone to all of the wreckage of what was left of his childhood home in Altadena, California.
"We kind of knew it was already burned, so we had a day to prepare before we came," said Natalie.
"It's like a shock part of it," said Christian. "It's like you're mostly okay but, also you're not."
Twenty-two years of memories were created in that home. Now, all that is left is ruins like many other homes that were engulfed in flames during the Eaton Fire.
Christian says his parents and sister evacuated two days ago after the fires broke out. They were staying with his grandparents in Glendale before they had to evacuate again to another family member's home. During that time, a neighbor managed to go back to Alatenda and sent them a photo of the aftermath of their home.
"When you look at the pictures and the videos, you realize how many people are hit by this," said Christian.
Images of his family home and others across Southern California bring him right back to 2021, when the Marshall Fire took out his own home in Superior, Colorado.
"I was in a movie with my family back in California and I got these texts, 'Are you okay, is your house okay,'" said Christian. "It was just like, 'I have nothing I can do, and I don't know what I'm coming back to.'"
He says it took a lot of time and a community of loved ones to help him get back on his feet then.
"I just had this sense of peace too, even at that time," he said. "The rest of my life would not have been unless that moment had happened as well," said Christian.
Now he is hoping his family keeps that same spirit up while he crowdfunds to help them move forward.
"[I'm] trying to help them walk through it and tell them, 'You don't need to be okay. It's not an okay thing'," said Christian.
Despite the loss of their home, his family is finding comfort in the little things that were salvaged.
"Temporarily, we'll be staying at a hotel for about a week, and then after that, my parents are looking at a place to rent," said Natalie.
They also remain hopeful they will be able to rebuild their community in California again.
"We have big trees, these old houses, there's such beautiful homes," said Natalie. "Trying to keep the character of Altadena alive is our main thing."
In the same way Coloradans stepped up to help people like Christian during the Marshall Fire, he hopes people will also rise to the challenge in helping California now and as the community begins to heal.
"In any way, you can try to give, give," he said.
