A California man whose home was the only one on his block spared by the Eaton Fire captured a stunning video showing the devastation in his neighborhood, saying “God knew what he had to do to protect me.”
Enrique Balcazar recorded the footage on Jan. 9 as he returned to see what was left of his community in Altadena.
“This is across the street, the corner house and the two houses in front and the entire street on my right side is decimated,” he said. “From what I could see, every house is burnt down on my block, except for my house.”
“Why do I deserve this? I don’t know. I don’t think I deserve it. But God bless everybody else with plenty of insurance to rebuild. God knew what he had to do to protect me,” Balcazar added, while getting emotional.
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Enrique Balcazar’s home in Altadena, Calif., left, was spared by the Eaton Fire. A neighbor’s home next to his is shown on the right. (Enrique Balcazar via Storyful)
The video taken by Balcazar shows him walking around his property to survey any damage. As he pans the camera around, his neighborhood appears in ruins, while crows could be heard eerily chirping in the background.
“Everybody behind me, how is this? How could this even be true? Everybody behind me is burned down,” Balcazar continues, noting how lumber he was using to build an extension of his house was consumed by the wildfire.
“Even the lumber that we were building the extension of the house, but my house is intact. But even my lumber burned down, how does that happen if not God? The neighbors are gone,” he said.
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An extension that Enrique Balcazar was building onto his home in Altadena emerged was unharmed during the Los Angeles wildfires. But the Eaton Fire consumed some of the lumber he was using in his backyard. (Enrique Balcazar via Storyful)
At one point in the video, Balcazar reveals that a portion of his garage’s roof was still smoldering.
“The garage is even still standing. I don’t understand how this happens. This is God,” he said.
“Alright, we are going to go ahead and put some water on that right now, make sure we put that out so it doesn’t reignite,” Blacazar added before the video ends.
Enrique Balcazar’s neighborhood in Altadena was devastated by the Eaton Fire. (Enrique Balcazar via Storyful)
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“Besides that, the entire house is still here. Thank you God,” he said.