On January 8, Evangeline Iglesias — a single mother of three — lost her family home of 25 years in the Eaton Fire.
When she returned to the Altadena neighborhood to survey the damage, only her chimney was left standing.
“You just don't believe it…You can't believe that it's all gone,” Iglesias told ABC 10, a California-based news outlet. “I'm sad about my house, but I'm more sad about the total annihilation of the whole neighborhood.”
In the aftermath, a friend told her to look into 3D-printed homes, which are designed to be resilient in the face of earthquakes and wildfires.
“I Googled ‘3D printing fireproof house,’ because obviously I don't want this to happen again,” Iglesias said.
In her internet search, Iglesias came across a video from Emergent Construction CEO Don Ajamian.
“We use an on-site 3D printer and extrude concrete to build homes. We are the first in California to do so,” Ajamian said in a social media post. “If you find yourself lost, confused, not sure what to do next – please call me.”
After reaching out, the Iglesias family became the first LA wildfire victims to sign a contract with the 3D printing construction company, which is based out of Northern California.
The 1,200-square-foot 3D-printed home will include three bedrooms and two bathrooms — and it’s all built to be fireproof.
“There will literally be no flammable materials as a part of the structure of the house,” Ajamian said.
Using an on-site 3D printer, Emergent crews mix the concrete on-location and feed it through the machine to build concrete walls layer by layer.
It’s faster than conventional construction methods, and it’s sturdier.
“It's going to be amazing,” Iglesias said. “I just can't wait.”
Iglesias’ story hits close to home for Ajamian. In 2018, he and his family evacuated their Redding home during the Carr Fire, which consumed 229,651 acres and displaced 38,000 people.
“Thankfully, we didn’t lose our home, but I know many people who did,” Ajamian said.
Soon after the wildfire, Ajamian recalls sitting in his office with neighbors who had lost everything.
“They had nothing but the clothes on their backs...they were lost. I remember the look of desperation in their eyes,” Ajamian wrote on the company’s website.
“They were hanging on my every word as I was reassuring them that I could help them and that even though they felt lost, I would walk them through it every step of the way.”
It was out of the Carr Fire that Ajamian founded Emergent — a construction company that hoped to act as “second responders” after a disaster strikes.
“It is now Emergent's mission to provide attractive, dignified, long-term solutions for local housing; ensuring families of all socio-economic backgrounds have a place to call home,” reads a statement on the company’s website.
“To do so, we work in conjunction with contractors and developers, municipalities, and non-profits & organizations to rebuild what’s been lost.”
Since its founding, Emergent has 3D-printed seven homes, six of which are in Redding, California.
Now in the wake of the seven destructive wildfires that tore through Los Angeles (namely, the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades) Ajamian sets his sights on the company’s next wave of homes.
“My fingers are crossed that we can get properties cleaned up down there, that we can mobilize and we could at least get started before the end of 2025,” he told ABC10.
“If we can do that, I think we are way ahead of the game.”
Header images via Emergent / Emergent Instagram
