KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Margo May is a 40-year-old singer and nanny from Brookside. As a solo artist from a small town, she had big dreams.
“I'd always wanted to live in Los Angeles,” Margo said. “I moved there with my car, not really knowing any people. I had my guitar, some recording equipment, and just made it work.”
In 2023, she moved to West Altadena. It’s a quaint, intimate community just 30 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood.
“My whole world was becoming Altadena. It sounds cliche, but I felt like I left LA,” she said. “I really started to flourish in the community.”
Margo found herself juggling several jobs to support her music career. She split her time working as a part-time nanny, teaching children’s music classes while booking gigs in Altadena. Margo cherished the community for its opportunities and inclusivity.
“A lot of times as artists, you're just banging on everyone's door. In Altadena, someone would see you playing on the street, and they're like, oh, come play,” she said. “I sort of got into this routine where I was like, this is the dream.”
On the evening of January 7th, her dream was shattered. A wildfire erupted over Eaton Canyon. Within minutes, it spread to her neighborhood.
With no official evacuation notice from the city, Margo didn’t understand how close the fire was until she saw a post in a local Facebook group.
“Social media saved my life, because of Edgar on the Facebook group. He yelled on his phone saying get out.”
She had to make a life or death decision.
“It was like one of the worst nights, I'd say, of our lives,” Margo said.
Only grabbing a bag of clothes from her apartment, Margo hitchhiked around LA looking for places to stay. She found temporary shelter with a few of the families she nannied for before booking a flight back home to Kansas City.
“I was able to save one guitar, and but lost pretty much everything else, most of my recording equipment.”
Despite losing almost everything, she’s grateful that her connections are resilient.
“I am thankful for the few Kansas City people I do know have really been super supportive,” she said.
Margo’s dear friend, Moorea, made her a GoFundMe to sustain her for a while until she hears back from FEMA. They met years ago as American Idol contestants.
“I call it the idol magic, she said. “Often, I'll be somewhere doing something, and you see someone's name on a play bill and you're like, oh my God, I did idol with them.”
As Margo begins to build her life back together, she urges people to take these situations seriously, even if they aren’t directly impacted.
“Climate change is now,” Margo said. I really do believe this could happen to anyone, anywhere in the United States. I'm really praying that Mr. President Trump won’t turn his back on California and help provide for us.”
The Eaton fire ranks as the third most destructive wildfire in California history. LA officials say the Eaton fire destroyed more than 9,000 homes and businesses within 22 square miles.
Though her dream may be on hold, not even a wildfire can burn it down.
“I just got my Doula certification,” she said. “My main bread and butter have been working with babies for the past 10-15, years. I want to get back to it, because it gives you a sense of purpose.”
Margo found out that her home is unlivable. Only time will tell when she’ll be able to get back on her feet.
“I just, I'm so thankful for LA, because it is a safe haven for artists. It’s the city of dreamers, and I just want to get back.”