By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-14 22:26:52 | Updated at 2025-01-15 04:59:13
6 hours ago
A kind anti-homelessness campaigner is himself now living on the streets after his family's home was razed by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Anthony Ruffin said he has been left heartbroken after the home his father first bought in 1972 in a redlined area of Altadena, California was lost to the Eaton Fire this week.
The home he was brought up in and later bought from his parents was among over 12,000 structures that have been razed to the ground since the outbreak of the Los Angeles fires a week ago, killing at least 24 people.
He told the LA Times that he and his wife Jonni Miller, who is also a social worker with the homeless community, were forced to evacuate their home on January 8, leaving behind a trove of precious family heirlooms.
'It's terrible,' he told the outlet through tears this week.
He formerly worked for the charity Housing Works and currently works on Skid Row for the County Department of Health Services.
Ruffin became a well-known public servant in the area as he would check in on clients through weekends and nights, helping countless numbers of California's growing homeless community to find housing.
Yet after losing everything to the fires, Ruffin said he and his wife were already getting back to work to help those even less fortunate than themselves.
'I gotta meet up with somebody today who’s homeless and try to help him get into housing,' he said. 'I also did that on Friday. I gotta help somebody, every day... I got my own problems, but I’m fortunate.
'So many of the people down there on Skid Row are dealing with addiction and homelessness and don’t have some of the resources I have. I mean, I got a motel room right now, and they don’t have that.'
Anthony Ruffin and his wife Jonni, both homelessness campaigners, said they lost 'all material possessions' in the Los Angeles fires
Ruffin said he has been left heartbroken after the home his father first bought in 1972 (pictured) in a redlined area of Altadena, California was lost to the Eaton Fire this week.
Ruffin and his wife set up a GoFundMe this week to help rebuild their lives, but said they intend to share the funds with neighbors after their entire street was burned to the ground.
He wrote in the fundraiser: 'We have lost all of our material possessions, including many family heirlooms.
'We are fortunate to have made it to safety with our dog and one of our cats. Sadly, we lost one cat and two of our chickens in the fire, in addition to our home.
'My home was purchased by my father in 1972 on that side of Altadena because African Americans were only allowed to live on that side. With a low-paying job and hard work, my father was able to secure that home.
'I don't want to lose the home that my parents worked so hard for.'
He said losing the home a week ago was gut-wrenching as he 'worked two jobs to hold onto that property, because I knew how much it meant to my family.'
'We really fixed the house up and got it looking really decent.'
He said his mother and stepfather, now 76 and 83, were 'devastated' to hear the home burned to the ground, saying they 'can't stop crying.'
In a Facebook post this week sharing the fundraiser, Ruffin's wife Jonni said her family had been 'trying to manage this tragedy privately', but admitted 'we are human and need some help.'
'We will gladly welcome any support and love you are able to send our way...be it $5, prayers or positive vibes. With all our hearts, thank you.'
Even after losing everything to the fires, Ruffin said he and his wife were already getting back to work to help those even less fortunate than themselves
'I got my own problems, but I’m fortunate,' Ruffin said as he pledged to get back to work
As the death toll surged to 24 in recent days, officials warned that the figure is expected to grow as crews struggle to access the smoldering wreckages of entire neighborhoods
Experts warn that drought-like conditions and high winds have created the perfect conditions for wildfires to erupt and spread rapidly
It comes as Los Angeles was placed under an unprecedented wind warning amid fears 70mph gusts could trigger a new inferno.
The National Weather Service issued a fourth 'particularly dangerous situation' warning to take effect 4am Tuesday, cautioning that winds of up to 70mph will last through noon Wednesday.
Huge swaths of the bone-dry city are under the new warning from Ventura across much of the San Fernando Valley, while areas from San Diego to San Bernardino remain under conventional red flag warnings.
The fourth warning comes after the previous three this fire season brought havoc to the densely populated area, including the ongoing Palisades and Eaton fires that have become among the deadliest in California history.
Much of the area around Malibu and the Pacific Palisades are also under the new warning, where at least 24 people have died and over 12,000 buildings have been destroyed in multiple fires.
Meteorologists warn that unseasonable drought-like conditions have turned the city into potential kindling as high winds set in.
The last significant rainfall in downtown Los Angeles came in May 2024, and since October 1 just 0.16 inches of rain has fallen - compared to a historical average of 5.34 inches by this time, reports the LA Times.
Climatologist Bill Patzert told the outlet that 'the past nine months has been one of the driest in the historical record going back to 1900. During my career, I’ve never seen punishing Santa Ana events so overwhelm the normal winter rain season.'
