It was after midnight on Wednesday when “The Ark” writer and producer John-Paul Nickel and his wife Jennifer Nickel, a costume designer on “Gotham Knights,” were on the Target Rooftop in La Canada, Flintridge watching as the Eaton fire spread. “It was like something out of Mount Doom in ‘Lord of the Rings,’” John-Paul Nickel says.
John-Paul Nickel and Jennifer Nickel were wondering if the wave of fire was going to hit their home. They had evacuated before any evacuation orders had been issued. “We were getting flying embers the size of credit cards coming at our house,” Jennifer Nickel recalls when asked what prompted them to leave.
As she grabbed things from her house, like many who have lost their homes and have been displaced, she says, “We, never in our lives, would have thought that the house was going to burn down because no fire had ever reached where our house in written history.” She continues, “I was grabbing things in order to be displaced for maybe a week.” That meant grabbing work items from a styling job worth thousands of dollars over precious family heirlooms.
Amid it all, John-Paul Nickel was on the road to recovery after having knee surgery in November. His physical therapist had warned him a few weeks prior, “This is the time when you’re going to get cocky, and this is where you are more likely to injure yourself.” He had been told to sit and watch the apps. He was doing this in the dark since their power had gone out, and they only had a mini generator lighting the room. “I really wanted to help, but Jenny said, ‘If you fall, trip or twist your leg, I can’t carry you out of here.’” He adds, “I look back on that night with so much regret, and just regret even getting this knee surgery because Jenny did so much to take care of me, and I couldn’t do anything to take care of her.”
Even before the wildfires destroyed their community, the sense of togetherness was strong. As embers were falling, they checked in on a neighbor who had not yet left. “We were the last people standing on the street and we made sure that we were all evacuating together, and no one was left behind,” Jennifer Nickel says.
The Nickels thought they would be back home in a few days, but the family home which they had owned since 2008 burnt down in the Eaton Fire.
John-Paul Nickel was dealing with FEMA before the call. They are looking at what comes next and how long it’s going to take to rebuild, but can they afford to live here?
“I love it here, and this is the promised land,” John-Paul Nickel says. But, several years ago, they had almost considered moving to a different house, one that suited their needs a little better. “We didn’t do it because we thought we were making a safe choice.”
Like many, they were benefitting from a great interest rate and were slowly paying their mortgage down. “By making that safe choice, we are in a worse place because we have nothing. We have to rebuild to fulfill our mortgage obligation, and then we will have nothing again. We were the lowest amount of insured you could be, but at least we were insured.”
Right now, they’re getting mixed signals on how long it will take before they can have a home to live in. Some have estimated three years. John-Paul Nickel has been told by his insurance company that it will take two years. He expresses concern as he says, “I’m starting to worry three is too conservative of an estimate.”
Would all of this make the Pennsylvania natives move out of the state? John-Paul Nickel says, “There is no place in this world that I would rather live than the great city of Los Angeles.”
Jennifer Nickel is moved by the community coming together and the outpouring of love they have received. A GoFundMe has been started by John-Paul Nickel’s “Warehouse 13″ family. Says Jennifer Nickel,” It’s been so astounding and overwhelming, the love and the support. I just keep reminding myself and J.P, that this week has shown us what we have in love, friendship and family, and that is so much more than anything that we lost.”
The Nickel Family home before the Altadena Fire.
The remains.
