What it’s like to be a child after a house fire destroys everything

All they could take were stuffed animals, toothbrushes, Barbie dolls and blankets. Their bed, clothes and clothes were burnt along with their house.

The New York Times interviewed 10 children and their parents about what it was like to escape the fires in Los Angeles. They talked about what worries them, and what helps them feel better.

Ivy and Ruby Van Kline are twin girls who just turned 6 this week. They are in kindergarten at Aveson School of Leaders, a charter school in Altadena, Calif. Both their house and school burned down, so the family moved in with their grandparents.

Jet Crawford6 years old, also in kindergarten at Aveson. He is living in a new home with his mother and sister, 3-year-old Ilana, after their home in Altadena burned down. Their new town is about 20 minutes away from their house.

Kurtis Odom, 9, is in the fourth grade at McKinley School of the Arts in Pasadena, Calif. Kayla Odom, is 12 and in high school. They are living in a vacation home after their house burned down, and have been taking online courses.

Phoebe Hanelin10, is also in the fourth grade. Her school, Marquez Charter Elementary, burned in the Palisades fire. His house, which was across the street, was missing. Phoebe’s older brother, Abigail Hanelinis a high school senior at Palisades Charter High School. Part of his school burned down, and now all his classes are online.

Lily Yadegar, Alessandra Santini SY Yasmine Santini is a friend who also goes to Pali High. Lily is 14 years old. Alessandra and Yasmine are twins, both 17 years old.

Their house survived, but they spent more than a week displaced, staying in hotels and rented houses. The three girls wanted to do something for their friends and neighbors, so they started a GoFundMe to help rebuild their school and donate to help their classmates.

What was it like to leave home?

Ivy said it was “very scary” when the fire came. The power went out. Then the cat started meowing.

“My father said our house wouldn’t burn down,” said Ivy. “But I knew right before our house caught fire, because it looked like the fire was right next to our yard.”

Kurtis left his home in Altadena in the middle of the night with his mother, older brother and older sister. He saw that the fire was getting bigger and bigger. They later found out that their house was gone.

“I went back to sleep. I woke up. My whole life was cut short,” Kurtis said.

“I thought we’d be fine.”

don’t Yasmin SY Alessandra twins, the teenagers had different reactions to the night of the Palisades fire. Alessandra cried. He collected the baby pictures and the perfume collection.

He also got the clothes. “We share our clothes often, even if he doesn’t ask me, and sometimes I don’t ask him,” Alessandra said.

Yasmine brought things that she thought everyone had forgotten, such as medicine and food. “And then I brought my baby blanket and my baby stuffed elephant that I’ve always had,” she said.

How is your day right now?

Ivy, Ruby and his parents live with his grandparents in West Los Angeles. They like that the house is big and has stairs.

“You can take them down and up, and I can even take them apart,” Ruby said.

Kurtis and Kayla do online school. Their mother decided to keep them at home until she found a place for them to live. When Kurtis isn’t doing schoolwork, he plays cards with his family and chats with friends on the tablet.

plane is living in a new house with furnished furniture. His school is always closed, and his mother is worried. He has autism and has done well with the help of his teachers.

Phoebe and his sister has moved twice since her house burned down. And they know they have to move again. ABIGAIL worried about where he will go next.

How are you feeling?

Kurtis worried about everything his family has lost.

“Everything is on fire,” he said. He wonders how his mother can afford to replace his football boots and other sports equipment.

His sister, Kaylahe says he is shy and worried about having to go to a new school. He said: “It will be difficult for me.

Ivy and Ruby is excited about his 6th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese this weekend, where he hopes to see friends from his old school. And Ruby is looking forward to one big achievement at her new school: “Going outside to the big kids’ area when I’m older and going to the monkey bar.”

the Jet Mom said she was very angry. When he asked her about the fire, she buried her head in the waves of their new bed.

“It’s broken,” he said. “Mommy’s house.”

lily I miss driving to school with Alessandra and Yasmine, and stop at Starbucks on the way.

“We’ve been looking forward to going to high school together our whole lives,” Lily said. “It’s just sad.”

Reminiscent of distance learning ABIGAIL epidemic, when he was in secondary school. This time it gets worse. At that time, high schools across the country were in the same boat.

“Covid was good because they were all. But now it’s just one school,” he said.

What was special about your home and school?

Kurtis her grandmother will miss the home she knew. His grandparents bought it about 50 years ago after moving to California from Haiti.

Phoebe sometimes went to school alone. Now it can’t. He likes his new school, but it’s not the same. “Their yard is so small, our yard is huge, so big,” he said.

At Pali High, lily said everyone who knew each other. “I’ve only been there for six months, and it’s already like a second home to me,” he said.

Ivy and Ruby The school had a “big playground”, a garden, chickens named Sunshine and Marshmallow and a rabbit named Mr. Fluff.

“I don’t know if they brought the chicken or the rabbit,” said Ivy.

Ivy and Ruby’s house is 99 years old. His dad told them that it had charms from everyone who lived there and could even grant their wishes.

“But it’s dead, so we have to celebrate,” Ruby said.

Did you bring anything?

Phoebe SY ABIGAIL did not have time to take much. Abigail, who loves to read, only picked up two books and finished them.

But they were able to get all their pets: a dog, two cats, a beta fish, a dwarf hamster and Turbo the turtle.

“I only brought two,” Ivy said. “And we brought the toothpaste and the toothbrushes and we took the blankets, and we took our pillows, and that’s all I brought.”

Ruby brought a Barbie doll. But he is sad because “my bed, which is ours, is on fire”.

Kurtis brought a Chromebook to school and a tablet that he could use to chat with his friends.

“The crazy part is the trampoline is still standing,” Kurtis said. “And you know, if the trampoline is standing, I don’t know why the house isn’t standing.