Written by Steve Segner, resident of Sedona and formerly of Altadena, California.

SEDONA, Ariz. — As I sit here, vacationing in Hawaii, watching the news about the Los Angeles fires, listening to stories of loss, fear, and utter devastation in a place I know so well, I continue to… I want to accept the message that it will happen. Tomorrow will be brighter, but for now it’s as dark as can be.

I hear from family and friends who live in the Altadena area. Their homes and businesses are said to have burned down or are at risk of burning down. I’m thinking about what this means and what message we should accept when Armageddon comes to your town.

I remember. Forty years ago, I was elected president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce. I loved contributing to the life of that community. We were a small business community at the top of Lake Street. We were a blue-collar merchant class. We held a fundraising activity. we will have a parade. we planted trees. We built a community. Today, January 7, 2025, that community has disappeared.

The hurricane’s strong winds combined with the driest, arid vegetation, devoid of moisture during what was considered the rainy season, to create a gigantic fire monster that consumed everything in its path. This is the biggest firestorm of the century for America’s most populated areas. As many know, it’s the end of life. It has left a scar on many wonderful memories and at the same time so many people I know are experiencing extreme crisis.

Many small businesses are gone, and so are the people who helped build communities in the past. As Altadena rebuilds, we hope to remember the downtown area and encourage small merchants to come back, build and be part of the community.

Without a merchant class, a community cannot prosper. I am very sorry to see what happened today. The pet store I started as a young man in 1972 and now run by my niece has disappeared along with all the other stores on Lake Street.

Click here to see a video of Steve’s Pet Store on fire.

I’ve lived in Sedona for two and a half years, but my heart is still in Altadena. And many of us who live in Sedona still take our hearts back to our hometown. We should all count our blessings and hope that the dry season we are probably experiencing ends with a rainstorm rather than a firestorm. Listen to the experts and remember that we should all carry a “to-go bag” and have a plan for what to save when all of our possessions are gone.

Nature can be cruel if it wants to. But while we embrace the beauty and love of Sedona’s red rocks and green forests, we shouldn’t take it for granted.