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Mountain Views-News Saturday July 26, 2025 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 



[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Til Death Do 
Us Part?” and other books. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or Box 
41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

PROFILES OF THE FIRE: ALMADEUS STAR

It’s a Bird, It’s a 
Bunny—No! It’s 
BELLA!

Meet Bella, the tiny 
dynamo with a big 
personality! 

This little girl, age 3 
mos., may be small 
for her age, but she 
makes up for it with endless energy and charm. 
Bella zooms through the house like a bunny, hopping 
and running with pure joy, and she isn’t shy 
about chasing around the older kitties just for 
fun.

When she’s not in full play mode, Bella loves to curl up in your arms, soak up tummy 
rubs, and remind you that she’s as sweet as she is spirited. Her 
story began in a pile of trash and leaves by a car wash, where 
she was rescued at only 7 weeks old. Now safe and thriving, 
this little bundle of joy is ready for a forever home where she 
can keep spreading her sunshine.

If you’re looking for a playful, cuddly kitten who will fill your 
days with laughter and love, Bella is your girl! She is fully 
vetted and healthy. See more pix, video, and apply to meet 
her at https://www.lifelineforpets.org/bella.html, or use the 
qr code.


For the past 16 years, Almadeus Star lived on Alicia 
Avenue in Altadena with three of his daughters and 
their families at different times. His home was also 
“central headquarters” for his art, music, movie and 
writing projects related to his main project called 
“365 Days To Save The World”. He is known as Zen 
Archer for the archery training he conducts.

• 

On January 6, 2025, inside his home, there were 
two art galleries, a movie theater, and an art museum 
and multiple music instruments and performance 
gear used for frequent free performances 
and exhibits. The instruments included five guitars, 
two pianos, a drum kit, keyboard, hand drums, and 
more. There were sculptures everywhere, and every 
wall had a painting or some other two dimensional 
artwork.

 Then came the fires of January 7.

 

JANUARY 7

 

On the morning of Tuesday, January 7, Star stepped 
out into his gardens and began to hand water the 
trees and vines and cacti. “I had a moment as I had 
every single morning for years where I acknowledged 
that I was the most fortunate man in the 
world and my life was Perfect,” explains Star.

• 

He had loaded his Toyota pickup with audio gear and guitars and prepared to go to L.A. in the 
afternoon to perform music from the new album he was producing. “Sometime later,” says Star, 
unsure of the time, “I got a warning on my phone about a ‘possible’ evacuation. I was not at all 
alarmed about it because over the past 16 years, I had experienced 3 other such warnings that 
never amounted to any anything.” But he adds that this time there were intense winds.



He decided that he wanted to get away from the smoke. He decided to go to his son’s home in 
Idyllwild, 100 miles away to the east. Since his pickup was already loaded with instruments and 
gear that he had intended to use that night in L.A., he didn’t want to haul all his gear to Idyllwild. 
“I was still certain that this fire would just be handled as the ones in the past, and so I unloaded the 
gear into my home, to be safe,” says Star. Not long after he finished that task, the warning escalated 
from “be prepared to evacuate” to “EVACUATE…NOW!”

 

Immediately thereafter, a large tree blew over and crashed on the roof of Star’s home, and he noticed 
small pieces of smoldering and flaming leaves flying overhead, enough for him to be concerned.

 

He realized that a large leafy tree now perched on his roof was an invitation for disaster as bits of 
fire were falling from the sky, so he grabbed a ladder, chain saw, and some rope and went up on 
the roof. Piece by piece and limb by limb, he methodically cut the branches and took them out to 
his driveway until most of the clearing was accomplished. He continued to hack away til 11p.m. 
By then, the glow of the fire reflected on his windows, and all his neighbors had evacuated hours 
earlier. “I was tired,” said Star, “It was late. It was dark. I was whipped. I stood in the middle of 
the front yard looking back and forth from my truck to the house and back again, trying to decide 
what to take with me.”

 

In his archery equipment closet, he had 18 bows, dozens of arrows, tools for building or repairing 
bows and arrows, all valued about $10,000. He grabbed one bow and a dozen arrows and put them 
in his truck, along with one guitar. The smoke was becoming unbearable. 

• 

Then he went into his art gallery and looked around. “It was overwhelming to consider which or 
what to take. Literally over a million dollars of market value, otherwise priceless. That was when 
my eye caught a glimpse of the two books containing three hundred handwritten, original songs 
and I gasped at the thought of almost leaving them behind. Irreplaceable. And so was all else in 
that gallery, but the songs were my commission from God to bring message to the world. I had 
recorded just a fraction of them … So I picked up the two books and headed for the door,” Star 
continues.



It occurred to him that he should take his computer. So he headed for the stairs and placed the 
two song books down for a moment. Possibly on the piano bench. In his office, he glanced at the 
shelves filled with thousands of hours of recording and editing tapes and hard drives, and more. 
But he only took one computer and one external hard drive and loaded them in his truck.



NOW WHAT?



By then it was 11p.m., and Star didn’t want to drive the 100 
miles to Idyllwild, and so, with no plan, he drove somewhere 
south to Pasadena and found a quiet street and 
“slept” until daybreak. When he awoke, he compulsively 
jumped behind the wheel and sped to Altadena, hopeful 
to confirm that his home had survived. There were roadblocks 
and downed power lines and trees blocking streets 
randomly but consistently. “I drove past house after house 
that were still in flames. I heard random small explosions 
coming from the smoldering carnage everywhere. Little 
by little, my ‘hopeful’ was eroded and transformed into 
dread. When I finally reached my home….it was a pile 
of ashes. The gas line for the vanished hot water tank was 
leaking and flaming. All that once was ….was no more,” 
explains Star.



THE LOSSES



As a result of the fire, Star’s material losses were astronomical. 
He lost 70 years of fine art, writing and music that he created. Star adds. “And I lost the means 
of creating new art, writing and music. My economic losses totaled in excess of $1,000,000. My 
greatest challenge was facing the reality that all of the tools and resources that I had assembled to 
accomplish my long time mission to save the world were gone.”

• 

“There was a moment the day after the fire,” explains Star, “that I was rummaging through the back 
seat area where I had stashed the bow and arrows and computer, and I did not see my song books. 
After a few panicked moments of rummaging, I came to the harsh reality that somehow, after I set 
the books down on the piano bench, I forgot to pick them up again. Tragic. Beyond tragic.”



CURRENTLY

Star found a place to stay in Topanga, and is now temporarily living there. He does not plan to 
rebuild his home.



When asked “So what are you going to do now?”, he pauses and thinks. Finally, he answers, “I am 
working every day to save the world with one guitar and little or nothing else. Oh, I almost forgot 
about my main resource that is my 1997 Toyota Tacoma with 412,000 miles on the odometer.”



GOFUNDME

Star does have a gofundme to help him rebuild his life. It is Donate to Help Star Recover After LA 
Wildfires, organized by Almadeus Star Gioeli


Pet of the Week

 
Looking for a big adventure buddy? Meet Bear! 
This handsome 3-year-old chocolate Alaskan 
Malamute at Pasadena Humane is a true crowd 
favorite wherever he goes, and it’s easy to see why. 
Bear is a good-natured boy through and through 
whether strolling around the neighborhood or 
leaning in for belly rubs.

 Bear is smart and eager to please! He already 
knows sit, down, touch, and will even shake with 
both his paws for a treat! While he’s generally calm, 
he’s a strong boy and can pull while on his leash, 
so he’ll do best with a confident handler to guide 
him. He takes time to warm up to new people, but 
once he trusts you, Bear shows his sweet and very 
affectionate side.

 Because of his size and strength, Bear would thrive 
in a home with adults (or older kids) who can give 
him the consistency he needs. He'd love a quieter 
environment where he can be the star of the show. 

If you’re ready for a loyal boy to share in life’s adventures, Bear is waiting to meet you at 
Pasadena Humane! Come fall in love with this teddy bear today.

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, 
and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos of adoptable 
pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for 
your pet. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by 
phone calls or email.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com