Home at last: Eaton Fire survivor, faithful dog mark major milestone in Altadena rebuild

Eaton Fire survivor returns to rebuilt home

Ted Koerner and his dog, Daisy May, have moved into their rebuilt home in the Eaton Fire burn zone after receiving the first certificate of occupancy.

ALTADENA, Calif. - The first certificate of occupancy was signed today for the Eaton Fire burn zone, allowing Ted Koerner and his dog, Daisy May, to move into their rebuilt Altadena home. Wednesday, Dec. 3 marked a major milestone for one of the survivors of the deadly Eaton Fire.

What we know:

"It's extremely humbling," said Koerner about moving in. SkyFOX was over the heartwarming scene where Koerner was spotted in the backyard hoisting an American flag up as Daisy May relaxed in the grass behind humin Altadena.

The backstory:

For 11 months, Ted battled the permitting process. FOX 11 first shared his story back in June. FOX 11's Christina Gonzalez spoke to Koerner back in June 2025 about the challenges he was facing during the rebuilding process, including delays in obtaining permits.

First Eaton Fire survivor returns to Altadena

On Wednesday, the first Eaton Fire survivor, Ted Koerner, moved into his new home in Altadena nearly a year after the deadly wildfire.

After weeks of delays, Koerner took it upon himself to call every politician in the city, county, and state for answers. In the process, he met the District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, who said while he couldn't speak for the permitting process itself, the volume was overwhelming. With the fires, an office that was typically handling 20 permits a day was dealing with hundreds of applications daily.

Koerner received his permit on June 5, offering a message of hope to other residents experiencing the same frustrations. 

"Don't give up," Koerner said. "We can and will get through this."

Now he's looking forward to hosting the friends who helped him keep going after the fire.

"I look forward to looking those people in the eye in this house forever," said Koerner.

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According to city officials, Koerner's home is the first fully rebuilt residence to be completed following the Eaton Fire. The new structure is a one-story, 2,160-sq-ft single-family home featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an attached garage, as well as a patio trellis. Koerner's home was one of the first to be cleared of debris with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers cleanup crews.

Ted and Daisy May won't be the only ones to return to this area. 

"Now it's time to refocus and look at what the impediments are and the one thing that's coming back is finances. Not everyone has a retirement they can pull from to frontload the build," said LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

Ted's house was also built tough. With a concrete roof and tempered-glass windows, he called it a fortress against fire. 

While looking at his scorched garden filled with green growth making its way through the charred plants, he added, "It's strong. Just like us."

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Frustration grows over Eaton Fire rebuilding permits

Five months after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures, only 15 permits have been issued to homeowners so they can start rebuilding. And everyone wants to know what the holdup is.