An Aussie fashion editor has described the ‘unbelievable pain’ of discovering her new family home was destroyed in the LA fires.
Sacha Strebe, her husband Troy and her son Neon lost everything when their house in Altadena, in the city’s north-west, was reduced to rubble on Thursday morning.
All of their belongings were consumed in the blaze, including clothes and furniture.
Ms Strebe, who is originally from Cairns, Far North Queensland, uploaded a heartbreaking post to Instagram on Thursday following the destruction of her home.
‘We woke up to the devastating news that our beloved home had burned down, along with our entire street, and all of Altadena,’ she wrote.
‘This has been the most debilitating day of my life. I’m in shock, crying comes in waves, grief, deep despair, and unbelievable pain.’
Ms Strebe, who is the editorial director of lifestyle brand EyeSwoon, founded by interior designer Athena Calderone, said her family is safe.
She explained she drove to Arizona with her husband and son to stay with her husband’s family before they returned to their home the next day.
Ms Strebe and her husband Troy spent two years building their dream home before moving into the property in June 2023
The family lost everything when their house in Altadena, in the city’s north-west, was reduced to rubble on Thursday morning
Ms Strebe uploaded a video on Friday to show the extent of the destruction.
The clip showed the structure completely burned and flattened to the ground with parts of the damaged property scattered across the charred ground.
Small flames were seen burning from underneath the remains of the property.
‘Our house. It’s gone. I keep having flashbacks of our memories in this place,’ Ms Strebe wrote.
‘They feel so crystal clear, like I’m just in a nightmare and I’m going to wake up soon in my bed.
‘But I won’t ever wake up in this beautiful house again. I have moments of clarity and focus, then I’m crying uncontrollably with an ache in my heart and unbearable pain for what we’ve lost but also the collective loss of our Altadena community.
‘Every single business is gone. So many houses flattened.’
The family had only moved into the dream home in June 2023 after two years building it.
Before that they spent eight years renting a place in Silver Lake. Ms Strebe has been living in LA for more than a decade.
A close friend, Elizabeth Cruz Trujillo, set up a GoFundeMe page in an effort to provide much-needed financial support to the family and to help them find temporary accommodation.
‘They’ve poured their heart and soul into building this new family home over the last two years,’ Ms Trujillo wrote.
‘Moving to this mountain home brought their family an ease and a deep sense of peace. It was their sanctuary and safe space.
‘We humbly ask you to join us in our support of the Strebe family during this difficult time as they rebuild their lives in their beloved city.’
At least 11 people have been killed, including Aussie man Rory Callum Sykes, as catastrophic fires rage through Los Angeles into a fifth day and police carry out a series of looting and arson arrests.
As of Saturday, over 10,000 structures have been burned down, with a total of 29,053 acres of land scorched in one of Los Angeles’ most horrific disasters to date.
