Altadena restaurant provides free lunches to the community devastated by the Eaton Fire

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Fair Oaks Burger sits in the heart of the Eaton Fire zone in Altadena.

While the building was not destroyed during the fire, the fast-food restaurant cannot reopen.

Some of the family members that have owned the popular restaurant for decades lost their homes in the fire.

However, the destruction it is surrounded by has not stopped them from helping the community.

They have been holding wellness events, giveaways and providing free lunches.

Co-owner Janet Lee has felt the devastation.

"Right now we have no business. My parents and my sister's houses are gone. The only thing we have is Fair Oaks Burger that's still standing," said Lee.

The eatery won't be able to reopen until they clean up some of the ash and get the water back up and running.

Connor Terry, a member of the restaurant, says it's fortunate that the structure itself is still standing.

"We have power and everything. The restaurant is pretty much intact inside the kitchen," said Terry.

Despite not being able to run the restaurant at full capacity, the owners are not letting that stop them from doing what they do best.

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday they are cooking up free lunches thanks to a sponsorship from World Central Kitchen.

"We're just happy that we're here. We want to make the best of it and use our space as much as we can to help give back to the community," said Lee.

"Good vibes. Happy vibes with times like this where you can't really see a lot of happy vibes, so we're trying to do the best that we can to bring it that way," Terry said.

Longtime regulars like Thomas Harding, who was also affected by the fire, feel the love and appreciate the generosity.

"Love for Fair Oaks Burger. I mean, obviously it's a miracle that this building is still standing after everywhere else burned down," said Harding. "But they're pillars of the community. They absolutely represent the spirits of Altadena."

The restaurant looks forward to the day they can reopen and take a step towards rebuilding the neighborhood.

"I just hope that when they come and get food that they still feel that they can open up or come say hello and tell us about your problems, because people are really affected, you know," said Lee.