Pamelia’s Furnace

When you hear “smoke remediation,” you probably think of cleaning up ash or soot after a fire. But some of the most common needs after a fire is cleaning an HVAC system and attic insulation that took in smoke and all of the hazardous materials in that smoke.

Today, we’re celebrating a very simple thing: a brand new furnace for Pamelia and her family.

It’s not glamourous, but it’s change that makes a world of difference. The truth is this change has made the biggest difference for a hurting family who went months without a working furnace because they were scammed by a company who should have helped them.

Pamelia lives in Altadena with her husband, a military veteran, and they have a multi-generational home. Their house survived the Eaton Fire in January 2025, but neighbors within a block of their home were destroyed.

Their insurance provided coverage for repairs (including a new roof), but the contractor who said he would replace the smoke damaged insulation, instead pocketed $18,000, pretended to work in the attic and actually disconnected the furnace venting; which prevented the house from having any heating.  And then, he never returned. Phone calls went straight to voice mail and she couldn’t leave a message.

In the meantime, Pamelia had a heart attack. Her husband had a stroke. Their daughter who was fighting cancer, lost that battle. Pamelia heard about HCRN but didn’t trust just a website, she came to the office in person. She shook our hands; she asked for help and filled out an application. 

Our construction team went out and wrote out the repair list. At the top, the non-working attic furnace. Our contractor appraised the situation and said a repair was possible, but the repair cost was high and might not last.

A new furnace was installed early in 2026, to make sure her family would have clean air and function HVAC for years to come. Pamelia sent her Disaster Case Manager the sweetest note and said, “I want to again thank your agency for the blessing of the heat. I haven’t slept so good in a long time. I was actually warm last night. I just want to thank your team for being so good to me.”

We don’t have a picture of Pamelia showing off the new furnace and pink insulation in her attic, but we have a woman ever so grateful to the volunteers and donors who made the difference in her home; a home which is now warm and cozy and clean.