Avery Colvert

Shutterstock.com (background); Tony Valentino for Altadena Girls (Avery Colvert); Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images (pop-up shop)

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Out of the Ashes

After a wildfire tore through her community, Avery Colvert sprang into action to help her neighbors.

March 17, 2025
By Shay Maunz and the editors of Scholastic News

As You Read, Think About: Why did Avery Colvert want to help teen girls after the wildfires?

People lined up outside a photography studio in Los Angeles, California. Inside, teenage girls browsed tables full of makeup, hair care products, and clothing.

Just a few miles away, fires raged through the areas where these girls once lived. Most had lost everything they owned.

It was mid-January, and several wildfires were roaring across Los Angeles County. Avery Colvert lives in Pasadena. The eighth-grader’s home survived. But her middle school in nearby Altadena was badly damaged. Many of Avery’s friends’ homes burned down.

“The group text with my friends was really sad,” Avery says. “Every few hours, another girl’s house was gone.”

Avery wanted to help. So she created the Altadena Girls Instagram page. She asked for donations of the types of items her friends needed. 

She had no idea just how big her effort was about to become.

A Helping Hand

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

On January 7, wildfires ignited in the Los Angeles area (see “City on Fire”). The Palisades and Eaton fires were two of the most destructive wildfires in California history. They destroyed more than 16,000 homes, schools, and other buildings. 

Across the city, shelters and donation sites provided food and water. But Avery knew teen girls would also be missing things like jewelry, hair ties, and makeup. Feeling empathy for her friends, Avery started Altadena Girls on January 11. 

Coming Together

Donations quickly began pouring in. A family friend let Avery use their photography studio. Within a day, it was filled with items. 

“We were afraid that we wouldn’t have enough for everybody,” Avery recalls. “But the donations just never ended.”

Avery and a team of volunteers sorted through the donations and set up a “store.” Everything was free to teens whose homes were destroyed by the fires. 

Word spread quickly. Charli XCX mentioned it on Instagram. Shipments arrived from Ariana Grande’s makeup brand.

All that helped hundreds of girls replace some of what they had lost. And Avery’s project inspired others to start Altadena Boys, a donation event for boys.

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Teens browse donated items at the Altadena Girls free pop-up shop in Los Angeles, California, on January 14.

Hope for the Future

After a few days, Avery returned the studio to its owner. In February, she announced that Altadena Girls would move to a new location. Avery plans to turn her project into a community center with mental health help for teen girls. She hopes to set up homework help rooms, dance classes, and more. 

“Don’t forget that our schools burned down too,” Avery says. “So there’s no more gym, field, or theater.”

What started as a free pop-up site has grown into a permanent space for hope and healing.

“This was so much more than just free stuff,” Avery says. “I’ll never forget the faces and hugs and people that we helped those first few days.”

City on Fire

On January 7, the Palisades Fire broke out in Los Angeles, California. Hours later, the Eaton Fire erupted. As firefighters battled the blazes, several smaller wildfires started.

  • The wildfires burned about 40,000 acres. 
  • About 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate, or flee to safer areas. Sadly, at least 29 people were killed.
  • Strong winds and dry conditions helped the fires spread quickly. As Scholastic News went to press, the official cause of the fires had not yet been determined.
  • By January 31, the wildfires were fully contained, or under control.

Chris Pizzello/AP Images

The Eaton Fire blazes in Altadena, California, on January 8.

  1. Based on the article and on the sidebar, “City on Fire,” what were some of the effects of the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire?
  2. In the section “Coming Together,” why do you think the author put the word “store” in quotation marks?
  3. Summarize the main idea and key details of the section “Hope for the Future.”
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