Former Colorado Buffaloes star linebacker Chad Brown says California hometown and parents' home destroyed in fire
Former Colorado Buffaloes and NFL linebacker and current Coloradan Chad Brown says his hometown in California, as well as his parents' home, were destroyed in the Eaton Fire, which continues to burn in the Los Angeles area.
The former Colorado Buffaloes star linebacker, who went on to play in the NFL before becoming a sports broadcaster in Colorado, spoke to CBS Colorado Sports anchor Rod Mackey on Monday about a variety of topics, including former CU Football Coach Bill McCartney amid his recent passing.
But he also discussed his hometown of Altadena, California, which was decimated in the ongoing Eaton Fire. It has been described as one of the most devastating wildfires in California's history. CBS News Los Angeles is reporting that 16 people have died in that fire.
Entire neighborhoods in the city are now gone and, with it, Brown's parents' home.
"They're gonna lose the house. The house survived the fire but they're gonna lose the house. It's unsalvageable -- all types of heat and smoke damage," he told Mackey on Monday. "The neighborhood where I grew up, there were 13 homes on that street. Eleven of 13 homes were burned down. Just ashes at this point."
It's not just lives and homes that have been lost in the fire; thousands of buildings have been destroyed ranging from historic buildings, religious buildings, schools, locally-owned businesses, and more.
"My middle school is gone, my elementary school is gone, the local grocery store is gone, the post office where my parents went, the bank," Brown continued. "There's no infrastructure left. The fire department -- the Altadena Fire Department -- they lost their building in the fire."
Among the most painful losses for Brown, personally, are the memories of Christmas Tree Lane back home, and the loss of that street known for residents' zeal in decorating their homes and trees for Christmas. CBS News profiled the street and neighbors just about a week before the fire, saying residents on the otherwise quiet street go "all out" for the holidays.
"It's full of 150-year-old trees. these massive trees on both sides of the street, and of course they string Christmas lights across," Brown said, recalling bringing his girlfriend-turned-wife and then his kids. "It was a thing that was very important to me as a kid growing up in town. And I always pictured taking my grandkids to see this as well. So for some reason, the loss of this (...) I had to cry for like, 15 minutes. Not just for Christmas Tree Lane, but for the loss of all these childhood memories; All these places where I played football in the street or played basketball in someone's driveway."
This isn't the first time Brown has experienced loss due to a fire. In 2011, Brown co-owned one of the largest exotic pet stores in the country. A fire at the Littleton store claimed the lives of thousands of reptiles. Only about 10 snakes and a handful of eggs would survive. Brown told CBS News Colorado at the time that he developed a love for snakes while attending the University of Colorado in Boulder.
At CU Boulder, he was a starting linebacker all four years, helped the Buffs win the Orange Bowl in 1990, was second-team all-Big Eight in 1991, and first-team all-Big Eight in 1992. He was drafted into the NFL by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 and would go on to play for the Seahawks and Patriots, as well as playing in the 1996, 1998, and 1999 Pro Bowls.
After retiring from the NFL in 2007, he became a color analyst and sideline reporter for NFL and college games at ESPN, NBC, the Pac-12 Network, 104.3 The Fan in Denver, and other networks.
While mourning the loss of so many memories from Brown's past, he doesn't know what the future holds for his parents and his hometown.
"How long does it take to rebuild a town?" he asked. "My dad's 88 years old. Is he gonna rebuild? I'm sure the desire is there but the logistics and possibility just make it seem very difficult."
Brown alternated between being heartbroken and laughing at the shock and insanity he said he was feeling at the scale of loss.
"It's just so absurd how ridiculous this amount of destruction has been and how far-reaching it's been. Literally the whole town, my beloved hometown is wiped out," he said. "My entire childhood is now different -- is now gone."