Photographer Loses His Home and All of His Gear in LA Wildfires

Photographer Marcus Ubungen walking through the remains of his house.

A Los Angeles-based photographer has lost his family home in Altadena after the Eaton Fire tore through it and destroyed all of his gear.

Marcus Ubungen tells PetaPixel that last Tuesday evening he arrived home from work to find the power had been cut. At approximately 7 p.m., Ubungen, his wife, and two children received word that a fire was in the canyon near his home.

“We were constantly getting updates on evacuation orders on the Watch Duty app, watching the notifications get closer and closer,” Ubungen says. “With the power out, we could see the glow of the fire in the sky behind our house over the tree line. So it was then we decided it was time to leave.”

Ubungen grabbed two carry-on-sized bags and stuffed them with important documents like passports, social security cards, and the kids’ birth certificates. When he returned, his house had been reduced to rubble.

“I lost nearly all of my photo and video gear. I made it out with the two digital cameras I already had in a backpack from work that day, and quickly stuffed my Leica M7 and my grandfather’s lens into a small case that had my Pentax 67II in it,” Ubungen explains. “But I lost my 8×10 camera, 4×5 camera, lenses in every format, all my lighting gear, a full Canon R5 kit, and a Sony FX9 Cinema package. And there’s the stuff around that stuff — all the accessories, my film processor, printer, paper, computer setup, and flatbed scanners. It was quite a bit.”

What looks like a camera lies in the rubble of the photographer’s home.

Ubungen shared a heartbreaking video to his Instagram page showing the devastation wrought to his former home. “Walking through the ashes was heartbreaking,” he says on the video. However, he notes “small signs of hope” such as a single blooming rose, the fruit tree that still stands, and the children’s playhouse that was somehow unscathed.

He tells PetaPixel via email that he is currently staying with family “until the air quality gets better in L.A. and we can secure housing.” He says until that happens shooting pictures is on hold as he prioritizes his family and shelter.

A fundraiser has been set up for Marcus and his family via Gofundme. You can check out Marcus’s work on his Instagram page or website.