Caltech Community Member Kim Yu Helps Lead Wildfire Recovery

Kim Yu (far right) with her family. Credit: Jon SooHoo

By Sharon W. Tran

Months after devastating wildfires tore through parts of Los Angeles County and Altadena, Caltech fire safety specialist Kim Yu, who was elected to the Altadena Town Council in December 2023, is helping lead recovery efforts for both her family and her neighbors. Yu and her husband, Chien Yu, a Pasadena firefighter, lost their home and their children’s school in the Eaton fire, which burned more than 37,000 acres and caused an estimated financial loss of up to $164 billion.

A recent story on the Yus in USA Today details the emotional and financial toll from the LA fires, including those that impact the process of rebuilding. Still, the Yus have made some progress, working to share costs with their Altadena neighbors. “We’re still trying to have each other’s backs,” Kim Yu said in the article.

To aid in the community’s recovery, Kim Yu joined fellow council members to create the Altadena Eaton Fire Recovery Fund in partnership with GoFundMe, raising more than $500,000 for 300 Altadena households. As she told USA Today:

“Honestly, when I ran (for town council) last year [before the fires], I never imagined I’d be put in a position like this. These few months have been really hard, but we have no other choice. There are times when I feel like I’m failing, and I rely on my husband and my family to give me grace.”

Read the full story about the Yu family, their focus on creating new routines and emotional stability for their two sons, and Altadena’s steady progress toward recovery on USA Today.

Editor’s note: In a separate conversation with Caltech, Yu shared that the fund hopes to award another 300 grants to Altadena families at the end of September. She also wants to share her “gratitude to the Caltech community for all of its support and generosity.” Like many other Eaton Fire survivors, the Yu family was underinsured but able to raise more than $250,000 to support their rebuilding efforts.