The first certificate of occupancy was issued Friday for a West Altadena home fully rebuilt after the devastating Eaton Fire.
The certificate was signed and issued by Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works, marking the official return home for the Dyson family.
John Dyson has lived on the Grandeur Avenue property for 48 years. He helped build the original home alongside his father. The rebuilt residence includes a 1,470-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home and a newly constructed Accessory Dwelling Unit that supports the family’s multi-generational living needs.
“This house is a symbol of hope,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a ceremony marking the rebuild. “Standing here today with the Dyson family reminds us that West Altadena can — and will — recover. Their resilience represents the spirit of this community. Their story deserves to be told and remembered.”
Barger said rebuilding has been one of her top priorities following the Eaton Fire, which destroyed dozens of homes in West Altadena. Friday’s milestone, she said, reflects not just an administrative accomplishment but a turning point for an entire community.
“To the Dyson family and every worker who contributed to this rebuild: You’re an inspiration,” the county supervisor said. “Your determination and vision are lighting the path for Altadena’s recovery.”
The county is coordinating with homeowners, permitting teams, and construction professionals to ensure West Altadena families can return home swiftly, safely and with long-term support, Barger said.
During the event, Barger was also joined by John, Darlina and Deborah Dyson. Throughout the morning, friends of the Dyson family — many of them fellow fire survivors — stopped by to offer congratulations, tour the new home and draw inspiration for their own rebuilds.
Also marking signs of recovery, Altadena’s historic Christmas Tree Lane will glow again Saturday, a hopeful milestone in the community’s recovery from the fire and the first lighting of the display since the disaster.
Widely regarded as the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor holiday lighting display, the tradition dates to 1920 and relies entirely on volunteers who spend months stringing lights with ropes and pulleys.
Starting Saturday, more than 20,000 lights will flicker back on along the trees lining nearly a mile of Santa Rosa Avenue, near the fire’s burn scar.
For much of its 105-year run, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane has gone dark only in moments of true crisis — during World War II and amid the 1970s energy crisis. After the Eaton Fire, organizers briefly debated whether this would be another such year.
Some of the holiday lights — still wrapped around the trees when the fire hit — were damaged along with branches, not by embers but by the fierce winds that drove January’s flames. A few homes at the north end of the lane were scorched. But none of the 153 deodar cedars — the towering evergreens that line the street, some reaching 130 feet — were lost.
Every holiday season, thousands of people from throughout Southern California have made the trip to Altadena to cruise under the glowing canopy.
The Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres, killed 19 people, and destroyed nearly 7,000 homes and businesses.