Mountain View News Saturday, December 27, 2025 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

[Nyerges is an educator and author. His many books can be seen at 
www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.] 

PROFILES FROM THE FIRE: CHIP JOHNSON 

Chip Johnson grew up not far 
from John Muir High School in 
Northwest Pasadena. He gradu


ated from St. Francis High School in La Canada, 
and went on to teach business law and social studies 
for 12 years at St. Francis. He then went on to 
teach 7th and 8th graders in the El Monte School 
District. He moved into his home in the northwest 
section of Altadena in 1986, and lived there 
with his wife and 5 children. He was enjoying his 
retirement with his wife and one child still residing 
with him in his picturesque corner of his Altadena 
neighborhood. Until January 7. 

During the day of January 7, there were high 
winds, and Johnson heard about the fire and saw 
the glow of the fire to the east. As he watched 
the fire progress, he packed items in his car “just 
in case.” “But we really didn’t think we’d need to 
evacuate,” he explained. “We’ve been through 
fires many times before and it never got to us. It 
always stayed in the hills. 
Though friends called Johnson about the fire and 
the possibility of evacuating, he received no official notices on his phone. He began to water down 
his house just in case, to prevent an ember from burning his home. 


As darkness proceeded, the winds continued to get stronger, and trees and wires came down. Johnson 
sent his wife and daughter to the daughter’s parent’s home, and he and his son went to other 
relatives’ homes in Altadena to help water down their homes. Johnson pointed out that there are 
several little water companies that serve Altadena, and while the Las Flores Water Company had 
good pressure, there was low pressure where he lived, serviced by Lincoln Avenue Water Company.
“I went with my son to several other houses and some had good water pressure for us to wet down 
the houses, and some didn’t.” (Johnson has six relatives who reside in or near Altadena). “We saw 
whole blocks of houses burning,” he explains, and with a bit of angst, he adds that he figured his 
house was lost. In fact, even though everywhere around his neighborhood was on fire, he got a 
phone call while he was helping relatives saying, “Your house is still there.” 


He went home, and worked with a neighbor to 
gain access to another neighbor’s pool, and used 
a sump pump to spray the pool water on the 
neighbor’s house. (The neighbor’s house survived 
the fire.) But because of the dense smoke, 
and high winds and blowing embers, Johnson 
thought he might get trapped in the neighborhood. 
He and his son collected the dogs, some 
basic clothing, important papers and laptop, and 
went to a cousin’s house by the Rose Bowl. But it 
was too crowded there since many relatives had 
also gone there, so Johnson and family went to 
his son’s house, away from the fire in Pasadena, 
closer to Arcadia, and stayed there for a few 
weeks. 

When he was able to get around the National 
Guard barricades and get back to see if his house 
survived, he felt a certain shock to see his house 
and a few surrounding neighbor’s homes, still 
standing. However, nearly all of the surrounding 
homes for blocks around had been reduced 
to rubble, burned to the ground with just fireplaces 
standing. 

As soon as he could go back regularly, he went 
back to clean up the burned vegetation and general 
clean up, though now there was no electricity, 
and no gas, and no water. 
Why did his home and handful of his neighbors’ 
homes survive? Johnson really doesn’t know, but speculated that the coating of Tex-cote on his 
house might have been part of the reason. (Tex-cote is a product that is sprayed on the exterior walls, 
like stucco, and it is designed to reflect the sun’s heat and reduce the exterior wall surface temperatures 
by as much as 40 degrees f.) “When the workers sprayed it on, they were a little sloppy around 
some the attic vents and somewhat covered the openings. But that might have actually helped to 
keep embers out of the attic.” He also had recently installed a new roof. Additionally, his home sits 
in a small valley with a small ridge line to the north and east. It’s possible that the lay of the land in 
that little cul de sac kept the fire away from his house. “Still,” he exclaims, “my neighbor’s homes to 
my south, and north, and west, all burned to the ground!” 

Johnson and family eventually rented a two bedroom place where they stayed with their dogs. They 
only managed to return to their home in July, a full six months after the fire. 

In the meantime, they did a full remediation on the house, including removing all the insulation, 
and discarding most of the furniture. Johnson noted that the fire was so close to his house that the 
hinges on the wrought iron gate were melted. 

In all, six of his relatives lost their homes due to the Eaton fire -- his brother and five cousins.
After the fire, Johnson noted that he would see possible looters “dozens of times,” driving up and 
down the streets, presumably looking for scrap metal or something to steal. “They had no reason to 
drive up my street because it’s a cul de sac. If I saw them only once, I figured they might be lost, but 
if I saw them twice, I was suspicious.” Johnson would put on lights, and music, and use cameras, and 
often go outside when he believed would-be looters were driving though. 

He shares that he used to walk in the neighborhood at night, but now it’s pitch black and eerily quiet, 
so he doesn’t do so much. Plus, the emptiness has resulted in seeing a bear more regularly in the 
neighborhood. He still sees regular coyotes, but they were around before the fire. The most irritating 
thing to him is the real estate agents who constantly call, wanting to know if he will sell his place. 

Even though the old neighborhood barely exists anymore, and will not likely look like it did before 
the fire, Johnson and family are staying. “I’ve lived there for 40 years,” he says smiling. “Altadena’s 
my home. I don’t want to move somewhere else and be a 72 year old rookie.” 


Meet “MORTICIA” 

The past two weeks you’ve met 
Munchy and Princess. Now 
this adorable girl is the 3rd sister 
of the trio. MORTICIA is 
Princess’s loyal sidekick, who 
loves to explore and wrestle, but has the softest voice 
you’ll almost never hear. She’s sweet, playful, and always 
right in step with her sister. A perfect match for someone 
who wants a gentle, goofy companion. See them all 
at https://www.lifelineforpets.org/kates-kittens.html or 
use the qr code. We'd love to get them homes not just for 
the holidays but furever! 


Pet of the Week

 Achilles is a 4-year-old black German Shepherdwhose calm confidence and gentle nature makehim the perfect companion for both winteradventures and cozy days at home! Whetherhe’s hiking, riding calmly in the car, or soakingup attention from admirers, Achilles brings asteady, comforting energy wherever he goes.On arecent field trip, he handled a very busy trail likea pro — calmly walking alongside another dog,
ignoring bikes, kids, crowds, and even a horse,
all while happily taking treats and responding toverbal cues. He’s affectionate and gentle, leaningin for pets and chest scratches, and truly lives upto his reputation as a big cuddly bear.This holiday 
season,
Achilles would love nothing more than a family tocall his very own. If you’re hoping to celebrate theholiday season with a loyal, loving best friend byyour side, consider adopting Achilles and givinghim the forever home he deserves. There’s no better time to adopt: during the Home for theHolidays campaign (Dec. 14-31), adoption fees for large dogs, like Achilles, will be waived.
The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, andage-appropriate vaccines. 


Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos of adoptable petsat pasadenahumane.org.
New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA AnimalHospitals, 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 phonecalls or email. 
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 petsat pasadenahumane.org.
New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA AnimalHospitals, 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 phonecalls or email. 


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Call Patricia 
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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