Sisters keep serving at their humble Altadena burger spot, which survived the Eaton fire

Sisters Janet and Christy Lee, the owners of Fair Oaks Burger in West Altadena, continued to serve their regular fare of Mexican, Chinese and American food as vigil attendees shuffled in.

It was a sight seen throughout the past year at the restaurant, which survived the Eaton fire when most of what is around it, didn’t.

But even as they served their customers, this night – one year on from the catastrophic blaze — was different.

It, like places across the region on Wednesday, was the site of remembrance for the one-year anniversary of the Eaton fire.

Organized by groups Altadena Rising, Pasadenans Organizing Progress and My Tribe Rise, hundreds of residents gathered for “those we lost, and the love that still holds us.”

Attendees wrote what they loved the most about Altadena on a poster. Los Jornaleros del Norte welcomed attendees with music, as they waited in line for Fair Oaks Burger.

On the surface, under the glowing Fair Oaks Burger sign and the smell of hot dogs and burgers filling the air, you might’ve guessed this was the county fair.

It was an event by fire survivors, for fire survivors, said Pasadena NAACP President Brandon Lamar.

Pastor Michelle Williams led the program, inviting fire survivors to share their stories.

“Go reclaim what has been stolen from you by the fire, whether it’s your happiness, your joy, your smile, your resilience,” Williams said.

Celestino Castro, who’s been living in Altadena since 2001, recounted saving a bottle of holy water from his home before evacuating to pour down the streets of Altadena.

“Altadena, we have to stay in union. 
The union is very important,” said Castro.

Over the past year, the restaurant has served as a weekly farmer’s market, food drive, toy drive and — most recently — the site of famed L.A. muralist Robert Vargas’ latest canvas.

Sisters Janet and Christy Lee, the owners of Fair Oaks Burger, had always maintained special relationships with their patrons.

“I feel like a cook/part-time therapist,” Janet joked.

After the Eaton fire grazed through the homes of their neighbors, Fair Oaks Burger lost most of their client base.

But people still kept coming back, even if not living in Altadena anymore. And Janet and Christy continued to serve a community fragmented by fire but united by their love for Altadena.

As the lone restaurant standing on its block, Fair Oaks Burger has also become the de facto hub for fire survivors to congregate and advocate for an equitable rebuilding process, especially in West Altadena, which has become the subject of investigation as its residents wonder why their part of the neighborhood was left to burn.

Some residents demanded answers to where firefighters were in their community during the Eaton fire.

Mary Alice Pederson, a 20-year Altadena resident, lost her home she lived in with her son.

“The firefighters never came…Our block burned at 4 a.m,” Pederson said. “We need to lean into the fact that it was citizens who saved their homes in Altadena.”

Williams recounted seeing signs on Altadena residents’ front lawns that read “we were our own alert system.”