Just a few weeks ago Sacha Strebe had taken steps to protect her Altadena home from wildfires.
She cleared fuel around the property, removed vines from the house and ensured her family had an action plan.
But three days ago when fires broke out in Los Angeles, with 160-kilometre-per-hour winds and no helicopters able to douse the blaze around her house, it was destroyed.
Altadena is closest to where the Eaton fire is burning. That fire has burned through 5,540 hectares, destroyed 4,000 structures and resulted in two deaths.
It is the second largest blaze burning in LA after the Palisades fire.
[map]"We're right on the mountain, we love being on the mountain, we love being in the thick of nature," the former Queensland resident said.
"But we're also at the mercy of Mother Nature when she comes in and she destroys as she does."
As fire warnings came through, Mrs Strebe, her husband and son packed their bags and fled to a friend's house.
"Once we got the cars packed, the winds were so strong, we had masks on," she said.
"We had scarves over our faces like it was Armageddon, there was so much dust and debris in the air."
Once they found out they had lost their house the family left for Mrs Strebe's husband's home in Arizona, where she was speaking from.
Just two properties on her street are still standing.
"The whole of Altadena within the space of 24 hours is obliterated.
"All of our grocery stores, our favourite side pie pizza place, everything has been completely decimated.
"It's just like Armageddon. It's apocalyptic."
And while Mrs Strebe's family had a fire preparedness plan, she said it was hard to anticipate how unprepared the city was.
"We know the Santa Ana winds come every year, we know … wildfires [are] something that's renowned in the California area," she said.
"We pay the highest taxes in many of the states in America, so to not see those taxes be put towards things that are prevention measures to make sure that our houses don't burn down in the way that they have so quickly, is really disappointing.
"I think it will get ugly. It will get very political, as it already has.
"I don't know if pointing fingers and blaming is the right thing to do, but there's so many people are just devastated right now, but I think money would really help.
"And you know, people coming in and supporting and helping to rebuild and looking after people who don't have homes to go to, like, I'm very privileged that I have a house and I have support and family who can take care of me, but a lot of people don't have that."
'We love Altadena — at least what's left'
In Altadena, college student Belinda Brant is on a video call showing her sisters Ade and Kiri Lachey their utterly destroyed family home of three generations.
"The bamboo is I'm pretty sure what caught first," she tells them.
"There's the bench, there's the washing machine in the garage," she continues, displaying debris around them.
The sisters on the other end of the phone, in Burbank, have trouble hearing.
"The reception's really bad up here, it's been really bad since the fires," Belinda explained.
Kiri said they had been trying to get in touch with their insurance company but it had been inundated and unable to get back to them.
Belinda spots Ade's scissors but can't retrieve them as they are covered in debris, some of which is smouldering. She also finds a hedgehog statue intact.
"My favourite part [of the property] I'm really upset about, is we had a swing, like a hammock," Belinda said.
"Every time it got warm we would sit on it."
Ade said fleeing the house during powerful winds was "chaotic".
She said they took some personal belongings with them but mistakenly thought they would be able to return 12 hours later to retrieve more.
"Not knowing that 12 hours later our house was going to be completely gone," she said.
"We grabbed what we could but it was never going to be enough."
Ade hoped they would be able to come back and rebuild.
"We love Altadena — at least what's left."
Hope the city can rebuild
On East Palm Street, Sean-Paul Ray is inspecting the damage to his step-father's home.
The house has been in the Ray family for three generations, after Sean-Paul's grandmother Rosa passed it onto his step-father in 1998.
"It's just really sad, just to see so much memories and so much stuff just leaving," he said.
The 18-year-old is not just dealing with the destruction of his step-father's house.
Mr Ray was adopted by his grandparents after losing both his parents in a violent altercation.
He was living in their home on Marathon Road, a 15-minute walk away.
That house has also been destroyed.
"I lost a lot of my belongings, my clothes," he said.
"I'm just thinking about how I could try to get back on my feet right now."
His hope is the city can come together and rebuild for a better community.
'When life gives you lemons'
Jennifer Carey stands on Santa Rosa Avenue at the end of Christmas Tree Lane, less than a kilometre away from Sean-Paul.
Despite the name, there are no Christmas trees in sight, or any trees or plants for that matter; except one.
"I love Meyer lemons and there's this one little bush I always go to and there it was … it still has lemons," Ms Carey said.
"I was really happy to see my sweet little lemon bush."
The school teacher spoke to the ABC in front of her home, pointing out where the fireplace and living room were among the wreckage.
"I went through, I was able to see some remnants of, like, old dishes, kind of chandeliers," she said.
"What most upset my kids was just their toys … those little wooden toys."
Ms Carey said she felt deep grief and loss looking at her house, but the lemon tree gave her hope and strength.
"When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade," she said.
"And that's what these are for me.
"I'm going to bring these lemons back to my family … and I'm going to make a little dish with them and it's just a little sweetness."
