Loved ones rally to help jazz musician who lost home in Eaton Fire
Loved ones are rallying to support a jazz musician and his wife after they lost their Altadena home in the Eaton Fire.
Dale Fielder was returning home from playing a gig when the wildfire broke out on Jan. 7
“There were just flames everywhere,“ Fielder recalled. “It was 1 a.m. in the morning.”
As the fire grew dangerously close, he and his wife, Patricia, quickly grabbed their belongings and evacuated the home. They hoped for the best, but the next day when they returned to their neighborhood, they discovered their home had been destroyed.
“Every house on my block was gone,” Fielder said. “I parked the car and I just couldn’t move. I sat in the car for 20 minutes and just bellowed. The only other time I’ve cried like that was when I lost my mom.”
He was able to save his saxophones but lost several treasured instruments and thousands of pages of original sheet music.
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Dale And Patricia Fielder are seen in a family photo. -
Dale Fielder’s Altadena home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025. (Fielder Family) -
A single page of sheet music written by Dan Fielder was found among the rubble. (Fielder Family) -
Dale Fielder’s Altadena home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025. (Fielder Family) -
Dave Fielder speaks to KTLA’s Rick Chambers on Jan. 17, 2025. (KTLA) -
Dave Fielder’s Altadena home and backyard before the Eaton Fire destroyed it. (Fielder Family) -
Dave Fielder’s Altadena home and backyard before the Eaton Fire destroyed it. (Fielder Family) -
Dave Fielder, a jazz musician, is seen playing a saxophone in a personal photo.
“I had reams of original music manuscripts because I’m a composer, so everything that I’ve written since the ‘70s, it’s all gone,” he said.
While searching the rubble where his house once stood, Fielder found a single page of sheet music that survived the fire. Although devastated over the loss of his home, Fielder said he’s thankful to be alive and is ready to see what the future holds.
“Life is about change and I’ve had it good for so long and the universe has decided for something different for me,” he said.
A GoFundMe page to help the Fielder family rebuild their lives can be found here.
Over 5,700 structures, many of them homes, were destroyed by the Eaton Fire, according to CalFire reports.