A California man whose home was the only one on his block to survive the Eaton Fire shot a shocking video showing the devastation in his neighborhood saying: “God knows what he had to do to protect I.
Enrique Balcazar recorded the footage on January 9 when he returned to his Altadena neighborhood.
“This is the house across the street, the corner house and the two houses in front, and the whole street to my right is destroyed,” he said. “As far as I know, every house on my block burned down except mine.”
“Why do I deserve it? I don’t know. I don’t think I deserve it. But God bless someone else with enough insurance to rebuild. God knows what He has to do to protect me,” Balcazar added. Emotional.
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Enrique Balcazar’s Altadena, Calif., home (left) survived the Eaton Fire. Shown on the right is his neighbor’s home next to him. (Enrique Balcazar via Storyful)
Video taken by Balcazar shows him walking around his property checking for damage. As he pans the camera out, his neighbor appears among the rubble, while crows can be heard eerily chirping in the background.
“Everyone behind me, what is going on? How can this be true? Everyone behind me is burned,” Balcazar continued, noting how the wood he used to build the extension to his home was burned. Destroyed by wildfire.
“Even the wood that we used to build the house extension, my house was intact. But even my wood was burnt, how could this happen if not God? The neighbors were gone,” he said.
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Enrique Balcazar’s addition to his home in Altadena was not damaged during the Los Angeles wildfires. But the Eaton Fire consumed some of the wood he was using in his backyard. (Enrique Balcazar via Storyful)
At one point in the film, Balcazar reveals that part of his garage roof is still smoldering.
“The garage is still standing. I don’t understand how this happened. This is God,” he said.
“Okay, let’s put some water on it now and make sure we put it out so it doesn’t reignite,” Bracazar added before the video ended.
Enrique Balcazar’s community in Altadena was devastated by the Eaton Fire. (Enrique Balcazar via Storyful)
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“Other than that, the whole house is still here. Thank God,” he said.
