SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The National Weather Service says Los Angeles and Ventura counties are at high risk of wildfires through Wednesday. This is because the dry, gusty winds that fueled the fires are expected to renew and could exacerbate already devastating fires. One of the worst affected areas is a neighborhood called Altadena. Many people learned that the homes they left behind had been burned to the ground. Guan Nguyen is one of them. When I talked to her, she began by describing what her neighborhood was like when she returned briefly after the evacuation.
Joan Nguyen: Oh my God. He was unrecognizable. I mean it looked like a nuclear war, really. I mean, the buildings were burned, things were beyond recognition, and it was so sad to see this beautiful community reduced to rubble and ash.
Detro: Yes. When you connect with neighbors and friends, how do you start conversations?
NGUYEN: Okay, we’ll check with them. You know, we often talk about logistics right now. This is very difficult, isn’t it? We’re in this emotional state, but you also have to be proactive about things. We try to remind each other of next steps and things to do when it comes to insurance and debunk myths spread online about what to do. Then there are moments – how are you? – Of course, and check on them.
DETROW: One thing – I’m curious about how you and your family think about this because on the one hand, in a situation like this, a lot of people will say, my family’s fine, we’re fine. Physical elements are replaceable. But on the other hand, home is home, and you built your life there. And I’m wondering how you think about what this means moving forward and what you’ve lost in this moment personally.
NGUYEN: I’ve tried to talk to my kids about – we’ve always said, even before this happened, that things are just things.
Detro: Yes.
NGUYEN: And we tried to stress that to them. Yesterday, I was driving with my husband, picking up the kids from visiting a friend and back to my mother-in-law’s house. And I said, well, come on guys, it’s time to go home. Then my son – he is 6 years old – we have no home. And that really broke me. So it’s really…
Detro: Yes.
NGUYEN: …Trying to stick to those phrases and sayings. And sometimes I go back to that too. I like to always say that things are just things. But then now I think about it, some special things. I mean, we glorify the awards they get at their swim meets or the drawing they do. So, we’ve also given a value to these things as well. Now, to say and summarize this slogan that things are just things, this is also incorrect. I think for my husband and I, you know, losing the house was very difficult because we didn’t come from much of the area. We are both children of Vietnamese refugees. So, you know, this is really, like, as corny as it sounds, right? – Essence, like the American dream.
Detro: Yes.
NGUYEN: Go, you know, work hard. You are building a house. We’ve been there for 10 years and felt very honored to be able to get this home. And seeing that everything turned into nothing was very difficult for us.
DETROW: This is Joan Nguyen. Thank you very much and good luck sorting all of this out over the next few weeks and months.
NGUYEN: Thank you very much.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our Terms of Use and Permissions pages at www.npr.org for more information.
NPR transcripts are created on a fast deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The official record of NPR programming is the audio recording.