From Ashes to Memories: A SoCal Photographer’s Resilience Amid the Eaton Fire

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) — At times, a thousand words fail to encapsulate a single image. One particular photograph carries considerable significance.

A shimmering, golden Rolex, which had previously been kept out of view, was photographed resting atop a mound of ash and rubble from the Eaton Fire.

The remnants of what was once the Altadena residence of photographer Kevin Cooley – the one he lived in with his spouse and child.

“I placed it in a safe and that’s pretty much where it remained,” Cooley shared regarding the timepiece.

Cooley is not just an ordinary photographer; he is acknowledged for his images of wildfires, including the ones he captured during the Woolsey Fire. He was in Pacific Palisades snapping pictures when the Eaton Fire ignited close to his home.

“I received a call from my wife. She shared a photo of the Eaton Fire beginning, and I recognized it was from our place, knowing how distant Eaton Canyon was, so I thought, ‘Oh man, I need to head home,'” Cooley recounted.

“Having been around so many flames, I thought perhaps I should have handled the evacuation better, but when it involves your family, and your child is screaming while everyone is panicking, your brain goes blank,” he expressed.

Fortunately, Cooley’s astute wife gathered the essential documents along with that treasured watch.

After ensuring his family’s safety, Cooley returned to his residence and resumed his work. His camera is now directed at the remnants of his own home.

“I didn’t linger there for long,” he remarked. “I documented it, but then I transitioned to the next. I was curious if my son’s school, located a block and a half away, had managed to survive. It did.”

Preserving the Rolex extended beyond the watch’s worth. It carries sentimental value.

The timepiece originally belonged to his grandfather, and over 60 years ago, his residence in Los Angeles also succumbed to a wildfire.

“He lost his home in the 1961 Bel Air fire, so I feel this connection, through the watch, to a man I scarcely knew, yet we share this sense of grief,” remarked Cooley.

A watch passed down from grandfather to father to son is finally being worn, and the burden of multiple generations, losses, and survival tales is now merely an arm’s length away.

“It’s a substantial watch,” Cooley noted. “It does feel unusual on my wrist, but I gaze at it and think of my grandfather.”

Check out the most recent stories and videos on the catastrophic wildfires in Southern California here.