He Won the $2 Billion Powerball. Now He's Buying Up Lots Burned in the L.A. Fires. [View all]

Edwin Castro is one of the biggest investors snapping up destroyed properties—and he wants to lead in rebuilding his hometown of Altadena

ALTADENA, Calif.—On a recent overcast morning, a group of investors surveyed one of their newly purchased, wildfire-scorched land plots, when a silver-haired woman approached.

“Who are all of you?” asked the woman, the resident across the street. “This is Edwin,” said one of them, nodding toward a stocky, ponytailed man in the group.

The woman sighed in relief. She, like many longtime Altadenans, knew exactly who Edwin Castro is: the guy who bought a record $2 billion Powerball lottery ticket at a local gas station in 2022.

He’s also one of the biggest buyers of Altadena lots after the Eaton fire tore through his hometown in January, and he wants to lead the rebuilding effort there. The blaze in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills coincided with the nearby Palisades fire and several others, killing at least 31 people while destroying more than 16,000 structures.

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