Tears were shed, warm embraces were shared and an overall sense of community was felt on Saturday as residents who lived in a Pasadena senior care facility that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire were reunited for the first time.
While embers flew through the windy night of Jan. 7, ashes made for difficult breathing as staff of what was once The Terraces Park Marino frantically worked to evacuate all senior residents to safety. It was a chaotic night as staff and first responders gave their all to ensure the safety of the residents as the Eaton Fire inched closer to the facility.
Eventually, the flames reached the structure and destroyed it, but the Eaton Fire didn’t dismantle the bond between residents.
A chaotic scene unfolded at a nursing home where seniors, some in gowns and wheelchairs, scrambled to safety as thick smoke from the nearby Eaton Fire reached their facility. Ambulances and other vehicles scrambled to evacuate the elderly. Macy Jenkins reports for the NBC4 News on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
“The one word that kept coming up about the Terraces was, it was a unicorn,” said Sam Baum, Community Relations Director of The Terraces Park Marino. “The Terraces was a unicorn; there was nothing like it.”
That sentiment was echoed by its former residents and staff as they reflected on that January night.
Sybil Beacham, who was a resident of the Terraces, recalled comforting a resident from the facility’s memory care unit.
“I saw how afraid she was. She was sitting there crying and she was freaking out, totally,” Beacham said. “And I grabbed her hand and I said, ‘It’s OK. Don’t worry, everything’s all right. The firemen are here and we’re going to be OK.’ And she said, ‘Please, don’t leave me.’ And I said, ‘I’ll never leave you.’”
A total of 93 seniors were evacuated that night with the help of first responders, 10 staff members and six of their spouses.
A group of Pasadena seniors returned to their nursing homes Friday more than a week after being evacuated due to the deadly Eaton Fire. Macy Jenkins reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2025.
Medication Technician Zion Brown was among the heroic staff members who helped residents vacate the building. One by one, he carried at least 15 seniors out of the facility.
“Honestly, I’m an ex-football player,” Brown said with a laugh. “So, I guess that adrenaline running, you know? I was on the go. Like, I was just moving quick … And we weren’t going to get out of there until we knew there was no one left behind.”
Since the fire, the seniors have been living in different places and staff have been working elsewhere. Terraces CEO Adam Khalifa presented checks of $1,200 raised via GoFundMe to 57 employees on Saturday.
Company leaders said they’re in the process of rebuilding the facility and aim to have it open by Spring of 2027.