Hundreds of evacuees from the devastating Eaton fire gathered in hallways of the Pasadena Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8, amid gray, smoky skies, while ash rained down outside of the glass doors. Many residents fled the Altadena and Pasadena area due to the blaze that has consumed more than 10,000 acres with zero containment, according to Lisa Derderian, a city of Pasadena’s information officer. More than 800 people were at the evacuation center, Red Cross volunteers said Wednesday morning. Walkers, wheelchairs, pets and sleeping figures lined the exhibit hall. Food, water and dog kibble was handed out by Red Cross volunteers, as well as blankets and water. A nearby assisted living center evacuation meant many of the people seeking shelter are disabled, elderly, or both. Many came with family members, had young children, and brought their pets. Pasadena resident Julie Esnard had to be carried down to safety by emergency personnel since the elevator in her building wasn’t working due to the high speed Santa Ana winds. Esnard said she had to call the sheriff’s department in order to get help evacuating. Related links Eaton fire forces seniors to evacuate; local hospital plans to keep its doors open Firefighters were overwhelmed by 4 brush fires, officials acknowledge Here’s how to help Southern California wildfire victims Smoke from fires creates a swath of bad air in Southern California, but easing winds may help Eaton fire burns homes, threatens trees on Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane “With the high winds, we were without electricity since early Tuesday morning,” Esnard, 66, said. “The whole apartment building is electric, so we were prisoners in our apartment. I can’t do stairs on my own, so they had to carry me downstairs.” Esnard recently had moved into an elderly housing community on Lincoln Ave. and Figueroa Dr. “The building is gone and so is my mom’s house where my sister and her daughters lived,” she said. She came to the Pasadena Convention Center with two puppies that she has only had for around a week. “I’m still in shock. I just can’t imagine this devastation that’s happened,” she said. “This is a new year, we’re not even halfway through the month.” Despite Altadena looking like “a war zone” and being “destroyed,” she found hope in the Pasadena community coming together in the way they have so far. “This is community,” she said while gesturing to the crowded hallway of other evacuees. “I am so grateful to the city of Pasadena for opening this up.” Chick-fil-A Pasadena, Red Cross, and the Capuchin Franciscan Order of California, a religious group based in La Canada, were passing out food outside of the convention center throughout the day. As Esnard contemplates what she’ll do next now that her home is gone, she feels a move out of California is likely. Robert Morris, a Pasadena resident, lives near the Arroyo Seco and evacuated at around 10 a.m. Wednesday with his wife and their small dog, Charlie. “Charlie is much more important than me,” Morris said. “Safety was our primary concern.” Morris, who has prostate cancer, had to miss a radiotherapy treatment due to the fires and worries about missing more. Morris has lived in Pasadena since 1990 and worried for what would happen if his house caught fire. “We packed for around three or four days but it could be up to a week we have to stay here,” he said. “Of course, if our house goes, then who knows what we’ll do. There’s not much we can do about that.”