The aroma of Carlene Sutherland’s cherry pie and Sharon Tanner’s vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup was momentarily overshadowed by smoke. However, the two were too engrossed in a discussion about their assisted living facility’s laundry timetable to notice.

Given California’s susceptibility to wildfires, the smoke could have originated from anywhere.

Just up the canyon on the night of January 7, the Eaton Fire had begun.

Minutes later, smoke enveloped the Terraces at Park Marino, the residence of Sutherland and Tanner, as the fire rushed toward them.

Thanks to a swift decision by the staff, they, along with 91 other residents, were evacuated in wheelchairs, walkers, and beds just before the three-story building was reduced to ashes.

Now, twelve days later, with unsettling memories still lingering, staff, residents, and family members are grappling with what their next steps should be.

“That was my home, that was my life,” Tanner, 72, shared with YSL News. “I was truly content and happy there, but nature had other plans.”

A residence in Pasadena

Ten months prior, Tanner, who was born and raised in San Francisco and worked as a waitress, admitted she had been a bit “snobby” about moving into the facility. Previously, she had lived independently in Bakersfield, north of Los Angeles, but her health declined after her doctors overprescribed medication, nearly costing her life.

Once she recovered, her sons insisted she move to LA to be closer to her younger son, John, who gave her a choice: see him just twice a year or nearly every day. Reluctantly, she accepted a spot at the Terraces, which had a rare opening, highlighting its esteemed reputation over 25 years. The facility offered memory care, short-term living, and day programs.

Once she arrived, Tanner was met with warmth and friendship. She remembered community relations director Sam Baum expressing his happiness that she was there. After two months, she decided to remain there for the rest of her life.

Tanner joined the residents’ council alongside Sutherland, her newfound friend. “We were a sure thing,” Tanner remarked, noting that no one opposed their candidacy.

Smoke on the horizon

On January 7, around 6:30 p.m., as Tanner and Sutherland worked to improve their laundry system, staff members glanced towards the San Gabriel Mountains behind the facility. Flames were visible in the foothills, as office manager Maggie Jay recalled. Baum jumped into his car to investigate, discovering the fire quite far away, beyond a creek, a canyon, and a major road.

With ten staff members tending to residents, aged between 60 and 102 years old, the evening continued with some watching “Scent of a Woman,” the 1992 movie starring Al Pacino.

As the fire loomed closer, staff began notifying families of the possible threat.

Lawsuits suggest that equipment from Southern California Edison sparked the Eaton Fire, as the power company failed to disable electricity amid a widespread windstorm which the National Weather Service described as “life-threatening” and “destructive.” The investigation into the fire’s ignition is still ongoing, and the inferno has claimed at least 17 lives, with ten additional fatalities in the Palisades Fire, which is still active.

As 7 o’clock approached, Tanner noticed smoke filtering into the building. Inhaling wildfire smoke poses a significant risk to anyone, but for seniors with compromised immune systems and lung issues, it can be deadly.

As the situation worsened, staff began relocating residents who weren’t already in the lobby.

Embers falling like rain

Gazing out into the backyard, Tanner saw embers fluttering down gently, then quickly accelerating. They scorched the facility’s fence, shrubs, and trees.

“The embers were descending like rain,” she recounted. “It was astonishing how quickly and dangerously they fell.”

Shortly after 7 p.m., the power went out in the building. The elevators that transported residents downstairs stopped working suddenly, leading staff to carry people down the stairs. The back of the facility, which housed the memory care unit, ignited. Residents were in a state of panic, Tanner recalled, as she donned a mask, her eyes watering from the smoke. While as frightened as the others, she tried to soothe fellow residents while awaiting evacuation orders.

Staff decided to evacuate, even though local authorities hadn’t issued an evacuation directive yet, according to Adam Khalifa, CEO of Diversified Health Services, which owns the Terraces.

By coincidence, nurses and aides had rehearsed an emergency evacuation a few days prior, allowing them to act swiftly. They placed blue lanyards around each resident’s neck that contained vital identification details, emergency contacts, medications, and resuscitation orders. Six off-duty staff members also came back to help, along with two of their husbands.

However, as Khalifa noted, “Regardless of how much you plan or prepare, there’s often an unexpected challenge that arises during a crisis.”

A tough journey in the dark

At around 8:20 p.m., the evacuation notice was finally given. The original staging area for the evacuation was to be the building’s driveway, but the fire was too close for safety.

Instead, the nearby 7-11 parking lot was designated as the new gathering point. The distance was just over 750 feet, or more than two football fields. Residents and staff began their slow trek down the deserted boulevard. They encountered evacuees from the next-door Pasadena Park Healthcare and Wellness Center, who were transported in beds.

Maria Quizon, the Terraces’ executive director, assisted one elderly woman in a wheelchair while helping another who was disoriented. They had to zigzag down the street due to the intense winds. The embers provided the only illumination in the smoky night.

“It felt like the longest and most harrowing walk of my life,” Quizon stated.

Tanner attempted to use her walker, but found it difficult to move quickly. A “gentleman” kindly urged her to sit in her walker and he hurried her along. Outside, the smoke was just as thick as it was indoors.

From the 7-11, residents boarded city buses and ambulances destined for the Pasadena Convention Center, approximately four miles away, which was designated as the evacuation center.

Terraces resident Sybil Beacham, 87, had called her son Rushmore Cervantes to inform him of the fire, as his Altadena neighborhood was also under threat. He and his wife dashed to the Terraces, but after confirming she was safe, they hurried home to continue their own evacuation.

Search for loved ones

At the 7-11, Michael Carrillo, 67, and Penelope Sallberg, 82, were desperately trying to locate Sallberg’s younger sister, Nancy Cable, 79. They observed numerous evacuees in wheelchairs and beds, some clad only in whatever clothing they had on, using bed sheets for warmth. A few were barefoot or improperly clothed. Carrillo and Sallberg were unable to find Cable, who suffers from dementia and had lived on the second floor.

After inquiring nearby, they learned that Cable had already been evacuated.

A former special education teacher, Cable, described as having long silver hair and clad in a bathrobe and slippers, had pushed a friend in her walker to safety.

This was reminiscent of the independent Nancy of old, Carrillo and Sallberg noted. When asked if she needed assistance carrying her friend, she replied, “No, I’ve got this.” In the days that followed, when her sister talked about her actions during the fire, Cable didn’t immediately recall, as she was still recovering from the shock, Sallberg indicated.

Seeking a new place to live

After being transported to various hospitals that night, Tanner moved to her sister’s in San Jose.

She connects with fellow residents every day, and there are discussions about relocating several evacuees to another assisted living facility nearby in Pasadena. Tanner hopes to bring along others from her former community.

Staff members from the Terraces are working out of an Embassy Suites a few miles away.

Baum, the Terraces’ community relations director, is uncertain about the fate of his house. He hasn’t returned since grabbing his wife Patrice’s ashes, two cats, and some photos the moment residents were secured.

He, along with other Terraces staff members, is focused on helping with relocations, conducting check-ins, and delivering medications to displaced residents. Some individuals have been placed in alternative facilities while others are seeking new job opportunities.

The Terraces itself is no longer livable, leaving just a few walls standing. According to Khalifa, the rebuilding cost is estimated to be $20 million and could take at least two years.

The losses experienced by residents and staff are profound.

“I’ve got to rebuild from the ground up,” Tanner acknowledged. “But that’s alright. Like I tell everyone, we all emerged alive.”