For the first time since the Eaton Fire began, thousands of Pasadena kids went back to class on Thursday.
Elliott Hinton, a fourth student, stated, “I’m excited and I hope everyone is okay from the fires that have been happening around town.”
Despite his fear, Hinton arrived early at Willard Elementary. His family’s home was spared when the Eaton Fire broke out close to it.
“I want to meet my teachers and friends and again and I hope they’re ok,” Hinton stated.
The district was closed for over two weeks due to the Eaton Fire, which destroyed thousands of homes. In order to reopen all of the schools, 1500 workers spent that time cleaning the 24 buildings, the grounds, and the HVAC systems. Debris from the wildfire is still being removed off the surfaces.
The objective is to have all of the children back in school by the end of January, even if only around 25% of the district has reopened. There are five damaged buildings in the district.
“We know how important it is for students to be in school because we lived through COVID,” stated Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco.
According to Blanco, the Eaton Fire impacted half of the district’s staff and 70% of its 14,000 students.
“I wake up and I cry for my community but then I get up and go because I have a great team of people who get and going every day,” Blanco stated.
Many people, particularly the youngsters whose homes are still standing, find the situation difficult to cope with.
“A few of my family houses have burned down and it’s really sad and a few family members had to live with me a few days and then got hotels,” Nyla Moore, a fourth-grader, said.