Local business faces insurmountable losses after natural disaster: 'We want to rebuild'

A beloved local honey business was devastated in the Eaton Fire.

What's happening?

Bruce Steele of Altadena, California, evacuated his home — also the site of the small business — with his adult daughter in the early hours of Jan. 8 as the wildfire roared toward them. Within an hour, it had all burned, The Guardian reported.

For over 40 years, Bruce and his wife Nancy have sold honey as the Chaparral Mountain Honey Co. The fire destroyed 188 hives as well as 30,000 pounds of honey. The bees Bruce tended to pollinated wildflowers in the area along with almond and orange trees.

Some of the equipment Bruce used is no longer made, according to the newspaper, and their tanks and jars were wiped out. They are living with friends as they look to the future.

"We want to rebuild," Nancy said. "It's our home." 

Why is this important?

The Guardian called the loss "incalculable." This is Bruce's 49th year as a beekeeper. What started with two colonies grew to eight or nine within a year. The Steeles and their wildflower honey were a hit at the annual Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Bug Fair.

Their property was also a nature lover's paradise. In addition to the bees, great horned owls, mountain lions, gray foxes, black bears, red-shouldered hawks, mule deer, and more were plentiful.

The burned honey was worth $210,000, and even with insurance and over $45,000 in donations, the Steeles will be well short of the money needed to rebuild.

Their goal is to create a fire-resistant, sustainable home "powered by nature."

What's being done about wildfire risk?

While the historic Eaton and Palisades Fires spread quickly because of extremely dry and windy conditions, wildfires in general are becoming more common, lasting longer, and increasing in intensity because of rising global temperatures caused by humans' burning of dirty fuels for energy.

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Building in wildfire-prone areas will always be risky, but architects and contractors can take steps to lower the chances properties will be consumed by flames. Homeowners — including Californians via a grant program — can also retrofit their houses to improve fire resistance, clearing combustible materials from around the structures and replacing attic vents with ember-resistant ones, for example.

In Los Angeles, a major utility company is working with technology that can prevent wildfires from igniting, and the state is seeking ways to improve the insurance market.

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