Eight months after the devastating Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, victims returned Saturday to the site of their former homes to celebrate a new beginning.

More than 100 friends, family members and community leaders gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of rebuilding efforts in the foothill neighborhood.

Jonathan Weedman and Raymundo Baltazar, who have lived in the area for more than a decade, were among the first residents to put shovels in the dirt. They told KTLA's Erin Myers that the support of neighbors has carried them through what has often been a lonely, difficult recovery process.

“Sometimes it’s been very lonely,” Baltazar said. “The process is complex, and a lot of the times it’s just wait and see. But when you start seeing people show up, it really fill

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