Prior to the Eaton Fire in January, Eric and Ali Glasser and their three young children developed the habit of walking a few blocks from their Altadena home to Loma Alta Park. Glass manufacturers have been driving over the past few months watching construction workers make progress in repairing park damage. They arrived at the grand reopening of Loma Alta, eager to find some normality in recent life on Saturday morning.

Ali Glasser, 43, noted that her 2-year-old son was watching the winding slide on the new playground equipment, saying: "The little guy was very sad that his playground burned."

Glass Hands' house survived - neighbors helped extinguish the flames nearby - but the damage of smoke and ash forced them away. They have moved 14 times before settling in Highland Park.

Ali Glasser called the park’s reopening “a beacon and highlight among a lot of destruction.”

“As a community, we are still mourning,” she said. “At the same time, our children’s lives do continue.”

Altadena and government, government, business and nonprofit leaders praised the renovated, rebuilt and expanded Loma Alta Park during a ceremony on Saturday’s reopening. They praised the park as a hub for gathering and recreation as the community recovered from the disaster of more than 6,000 displaced families.

The 17-acre park escaped major damage from the fire, but the playground equipment melted and ash covered the pool and laid on the ground. Los Angeles County workers and thousands of volunteers work hard to clean up the area. Businesses and nonprofits donated funds and equipment.

Saturday's debut comes with all the new game structures, a conversation corner with Adirondack chairs and coffee stalls, a satellite library, a baseball field, a computer lab, and a renovated swimming pool and basketball court.

Within hours of morning ribbon cutting, dozens of children traveled through the play area, seniors dived into bingo, while families lined up for minor league baseball rituals.

Mark Mariscal, a 36-year-old Altadena resident who died in the fire, said he was happy to spend time in the park with his grandchildren again. Mariscal said that while he found alternative housing, he and many other fire survivors were still upset and frightened by the long process of rebuilding the home.

He said it was important to celebrate one of the only public places that could be reopened.

"We all need hope, we all need love, we all need appreciation," Marys said.

The decision to reopen the park so quickly is not without controversy. When Los Angeles County officials called on volunteers to help rebuild the park in March, many residents responded in anger, saying the decision was trapped in the face of trauma from fire survivors, a decision that was deaf and mute given the toxicity of detritus.

Glaser said she felt “mixed emotions” about the reopening of the park and pointed to neighbors’ concerns about the timing and extent of cleanup.

After the fire, some residents began to focus on key housing and public safety issues, which they said were not addressed.

Julie Esnard, 67, said she and her neighbors felt trapped in their apartment building, reserved for low-income seniors. The building opened last year and is still standing along the commercial area of ​​Altadena but is damaged by smoke and ash.

Enard said the evacuation fire night was in chaos after the building lost power. The elevators no longer operated and residents had to drag themselves to the stairs, and the complex was filled with smoke.

Two weeks after the fire, residents of the building returned, and Esnard did not believe it was safe. There are multiple burnt debris on the streets of the building that have not been removed, and residents are worried about what else on the site.

“No one went outside,” Enard said, relying on her Pacers. “It’s toxic, we’re very old.”

Esnard, who lived in Altadena for 60 years, joined about twenty residents and activists who marched at the opening ceremony and raised signs demanding greater protection for renters, more enforcement of laws requiring housing, and direct residence and direct assistance. Fire survivors still live in cars and shelters.

They wrote to Kathryn Barger, the Los Angeles County Supervisor who represented the area, asking her to preside over a town hall to address their concerns.

"We're angry and we hope things get better," Enard said. "Renters and elders are ignored."

Bag said she plans to review the request, but said: "Unfortunately, they feel it's better to spoil this," he said on Saturday's event.

Barger visited the park’s renovation facilities and said residents expressed gratitude for the place they returned shortly after the fire.

“People thank them for having a place, a space for the future,” Bagh said. “Many of them are displaced, so they come here and reconnect with the community.”