Nearly 20% of teachers in Eaton Fire zone had living situations impacted, union says

Nearly 20% of the teachers living in the Altadena and Pasadena communities had their living situations impacted by the disastrous Eaton Fire last week, according to union leaders. 

More than 14,000 acres and thousands of homes and busineses were burned by the inferno, leaving the future of the region in question as to when they can rebuild, and how many people plan to return at all. 

With so many questions unanswered, teachers are also worried that they might be priced out of the areas where they've helped mold the minds of their students for decades. 

Donny Kincey, a second grade teacher's aide and director of after school programs at a local private school, lost both the home he lives at with his sister and his childhood home where his parents still lived. 

While he's confident he'll return to the area to start fresh, his main concern lies with who may not be doing the same and who could replace them. 

"As it started to gentrify, you know people were digging in even deeper and now I'm really afraid to see what's gonna happen to my neighbors and who's gonna stick around after this," Kincey said. 

The Pasadena Teacher's Union estimates that 10% of their 870 members lost their homes in the fire, while another 10% were displaced. They know that the short term and long term effects could pull countless leaders from classrooms. 

"A lot of our teachers if they wind up moving out of the area, they're not necessarily gonna want to come back or be able to," said Jonathan Gardner, the union president. "

On top of the vast amount of teachers, Gardner also said dozens of substitutes and school staff members were affected as well — not to mention the students. 

"A lot of our members have responded that they just, they can't imagine how they could possibly come back to work and care for these students emotionally, at this exact moment," he said. 

Schools within the Pasadena Unified School District are closed at least through the end of the week, if not longer as the community continues to reel from the effects of the fire.