Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies evacuated a west Altadena resident shortly after 11:30 p.m. on the night the Eaton fire began. 911 logs indicate the evacuation was escalated through the chain of command, suggesting officials handling the emergency should have known about it. Fire crews reported an active fire in the same area. The records add to evidence that fire and sheriff personnel on the ground recognized the threat to west Altadena neighborhoods well before a 3:25 a.m. evacuation order. Nineteen people died in the Eaton fire, and all but one were found in west Altadena, where damage was concentrated. No evacuation warnings were sent to that area before evacuations were ordered.
"Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies evacuated a resident in west Altadena just after 11:30 p.m., the night the Eaton fire broke out, according to logs of 911 calls obtained by The Times, raising new questions about why it took nearly four more hours for authorities to issue widespread alerts for the rest of the community."
"The records show this early evacuation was run up the chain of command, meaning officials handling the emergency should have been aware of it. It also came as fire crews reported an active fire in the same area. The logs add to growing evidence that both fire and sheriff personnel on the ground during the first hours of the blaze knew it was threatening Altadena neighborhoods west of Lake Avenue well before the 3:25 a.m. evacuation order was issued."
"In the end, all but one of the 19 people who died in the Eaton fire were found in west Altadena, where the fire damage was most concentrated. No evacuation warnings went out to that area before evacuations were ordered. The new 911 records come a week after the L.A. County Fire Department released a report that concluded there was "no failure" or delay in how evacuations rolled out."
"The Times first reported that many Altadena residents evacuated in dangerous conditions without any warnings or on-the-ground aid in January 2025. Some have blamed the late alerts for their loved ones' deaths. Earlier this year, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta opened a civil rights investigation into the fire preparations and response, focusing on potential disparities in historically Black west Altadena. It's unclear when that will be complete."
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]