On Saturday morning, Pierre Dupuis greeted Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Berger outside the Altadena Sheriff’s Station and wept in her arms.

“Thank you so much,” the 65-year-old lifelong Altadena resident told Berger, sobbing. “So cruel, so cruel.”

He and his brother lost their home in the Eaton Fire. The fire destroyed their community and parts of nearby Pasadena, burning more than 14,000 acres, killing at least 11 people and damaging thousands of buildings.

In front of me was a huge shopping mall sign bent at a 45 degree angle. The sheriff’s station behind us had no water or electricity. To the east and west of Via Altadena were buildings that remained intact, next to what looked like photos from the Dresden bombing.

Berger hugged Dupuis tightly. The two have known each other for over 30 years. “I know,” she told him. “know.”

This isn’t the first time she’s had to console constituents after major wildfires. Since she joined the Board of Supervisors in 2016, the Barger District has weathered 10 fires of more than 5,000 acres, including the Bobcat and Lake Fires, the largest in Los Angeles County in the past decade. . This has a different impact on her. The San Marino native has fond memories of visiting Eaton Canyon Nature Center as a Girl Scout and filming her first political campaign commercial at Charles S. Farnsworth Park.

The nature center was destroyed. The park’s New Deal-era rec center near the historic amphitheater was destroyed. Many of her friends lost their homes. Staff had to be evacuated.

“I never thought about how I would act in a situation like this,” Berger said as he started walking down Lake Avenue. “I didn’t even count how many people there were. Things like this happen, so you have to stay focused.”

She adjusted her sunglasses and complemented her pearl earrings and necklace. “Everyone I met while I was here lost their homes, everyone. everyone”

In December, Mr. Berger became chairman of the board for the second time. The first time was at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think God is testing me,” she joked. “While this is a challenge, it is not insurmountable.”

I had asked Berger to show me around Altadena. Accompanying us were Dupuis, two members of Berger’s staff, and Natalia Molina, a University of Southern California professor and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient who lives in Pasadena, about a mile south of the sheriff’s station. .

19 members of Molina’s Altadena gym were left homeless. She told Berger she was ready to help in any way she could.

“I’m bilingual, I can write, I can give presentations,” she said. The supervisor nodded and asked the employee to take it down. expertThis is your information.

Mr. Berger replied, “Okay, because I need a helper right now.”

Dupuis took us to Mariposa Street. Mariposa Street is nicknamed Millionaire’s Row because it is home to a huge mansion originally built for map-publishing magnate Andrew McNally, including his childhood home. I am. All that remained now were chimneys, brick walls, and blackened trees.

“Governments at all levels need to help people rebuild and get support quickly,” Berger said. Fire trucks from Watsonville, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and Oxnard were waiting nearby. Firefighters raced past us on ATVs.

“I try to stay out of politics, but FEMA has been dysfunctional for some time,” she said. “And in times of crisis, who benefits from fighting each other? You have to lead.”

A group of black SUVs passed by and suddenly stopped. State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas jumped out, along with nearly all of the L.A. County Legislature members. They welcomed the burgers as if they were rock stars.

“Thank you for your leadership,” Rivas told the supervisors.

“If you need anything, we’ll be there right away,” said newly elected East Side Councilman Mark Gonzalez.

Another newly elected congressman, Sadeh Elhawary, who represents South Los Angeles and whose sister lost her home in the Eaton fire, helped Berger ensure that Altadena’s black community was not displaced in rebuilding efforts. He said he wanted to.

“The community trauma here is next level,” Elhawary said.

The last person to greet Berger was another newcomer, John Harabedian, who represents Altadena and unsuccessfully ran against Berger in 2020.

“She’s unbelievable,” he said, and the other councilors nodded. “I don’t think the community could ask for a better leader. You can tell by everything she does that it’s personal.”

Berger thanks everyone and then spots Pablo Scarpellini. He was a reporter for Spain’s El Mundo newspaper, but he also had a personal connection to the destruction around us. The Spanish intensive school that his wife attends burned down.

“We’re really counting on you to rebuild,” he told Berger.

“We’re going to rebuild,” she answered. “We are ready to move mountains.”

Berger said she had previously told Rivas that the city of Sacramento needed to provide tax breaks to residents who lost their homes so they could rebuild and remain in their neighborhoods. He told her that Congress was ready to assist in any way possible.

“And the red tape,” she scoffed. “We always say we want to get rid of it, but we need to do it. I want people like Pierre to stay here. ”

We were now on Santa Rosa Street. In December, it is known as Christmas Tree Lane because of its spectacular holiday displays. The large cedar trees along the road were not even burned and were still covered in pristine old-fashioned holiday lights, but nearly every house was in ruins. The car in the driveway looked like a melted ice cream cake.

Berger started the annual neighborhood celebration, a 104-year-old tradition that draws visitors from all over the world, just a few weeks ago.

“She turned it on,” Dupuis said, shaking his head.

Berger looked around. “There’s no rhyme or reason to this,” she said, her voice catching. “And I, uh… it’s just…”

The enormity of it all seemed to finally hit her. She looked up at the palm tree whose leaves had turned to ashes at her feet, and was quiet for a moment with her shoulders and head slumped. Her spirits soared when she saw the Los Angeles County Fire Department truck.

“Where are you from?” she asked the crew. Duarte, they answered.

she smiled. “I’m your boss and I love you.”

we continued walking. An ugly siren blared on her cell phone. It was an evacuation advisory for LA County.

“We’re ready for it,” she said with a laugh. A few days ago, a series of false alarms went out on people’s smartphones in Los Angeles County and then Orange County, hitting their already fragile nerves. “This makes sense.”

I brought up Donald Trump. Earlier that morning, Berger announced he had sent a letter to the president-elect asking him to visit Altadena and other affected communities. She hopes he can free up federal funds to help rebuild and help those in need.

“My constituents don’t care about party,” said Berger, the only Republican on the board. “They care about who is going to help them. And for the next president, the people he said he was running for — workers who can’t pay their rent and think the price of eggs is too high. It is important to recognize that we are here.

“I’m going to camp out on the White House lawn until he gets here,” she said with a laugh. “But I think he will.”

After Molina and I took a short walk down Wapello Street to see the incinerated property of a couple we were friends with, all that remained was the grandkids’ slide. We arrived at Farnsworth Park. The rec center was still smoldering. A large oak tree lay there.

“When I became chair, I said I wanted to bring unity to the board,” Berger said. “Unity will continue to be my focus. But it’s also about rebuilding, rebuilding the lives of our constituents, but also rebuilding people’s trust in government. I’m going to be laser-focused like never before.”

Then another brigade of black SUVs came. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna and California Atty. General Rob Bonta came out and greeted Berger.

“I brought my wife and her mother here for salsa night,” Luna said as they hugged each other. “They danced as hard as they could!”

I asked if Mr. Berger had confidence in leading the county’s recovery efforts.

“Simply put, she cares. Supervisors aren’t talking from notes. You can see it in her eyes. What can I say? She cares about us. I’ll kick your butt,” he said, referring to Los Angeles County commissioners like himself.

“We have to keep this momentum going,” Berger said as we walked across the lake to the sheriff’s station, referring to all the elected officials who suddenly wanted to talk to her. Her phone kept ringing while we walked for two hours. She never broke a sweat even though I was nervous towards the end. “The fire will be extinguished quickly, but there will be a lot of work to do after that.”

She had to attend a press conference to discuss when residents could return to the burnt areas — she hopes Thursday. There she noticed a pure white house. Birds were chirping. A rooster was crowing in the distance. AT&T and Southern California Edison cars were running around.

“This is my friend’s house,” she said. “They’ve gone crazy.”

The boss took a photo with his smartphone. “I’ll text them and let them know it’s okay.”