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MONDAY, JANUARY 13- JANUARY 19, 2025
Deadly Eaton Canyon fire’s advance slows, but still no containment
VOL. 13,
NO. 206
20 arrested for looting in fireaffected areas of LA County By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
By City News Service
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ome evacuation orders were lifted Thursday as fire crews worked to establish containment around a 10,000-acre brush fire in the Eaton Canyon area that has left at least five people dead and destroyed or damaged about 1,000 structures. The Eaton Fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the hills above Altadena amid hurricaneforce Santa Ana winds, according to Cal Fire. By 11 p.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire reported the fire had grown to 10,600 acres and was 0% contained. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Thursday morning the spread of the fire had been significantly slowed thanks to efforts of firefighters and diminishing winds. He noted that there have been numerous injuries, although no specific numbers were provided, and he said more than 1,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in the fire. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Wednesday between 200 and 500 structures had been destroyed, and another 13,000 structures were at risk. More than 32,500 residents were placed under evacuation orders in the nearby regions including Pasadena and Altadena, she said. Among the structures destroyed in the fire was the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation reported that the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Farnsworth Park’s Davies Community Center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic
Sheriff Robert Luna reports looting in fire zones. | Photo courtesy of Forbes Breaking News/YouTube
S | Photo courtesy of LACoFD/X
Places, the Altadena Golf Course Club House and adjacent buildings were destroyed. Marrone told reporters Wednesday morning that two people -- described only as civilians -- died in the fire, but the circumstances of the deaths were unknown. County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday afternoon that the death toll had risen to five. Luna on Thursday declined to give an update on possible fatalities, saying he was “not satisfied with some of the information” he was receiving. He said the sheriff’s department was working with the county medical examiner, and investigators will eventually make a more thorough search of the Eaton Fire and other fire areas, noting that “some of them look
like a bomb was dropped on them.” There were also few specifics on injuries. Marrone said earlier there were “a number of significant injuries” due to the fire, adding that many injuries that occurred in the various fires occurred among people who failed to heed evacuation orders. Initially dubbed the Close Fire but later changed to the Eaton Fire, the blaze quickly exploded in size after it began Tuesday night, driven by the same Santa Ana winds that sparked numerous other wildfires in the L.A. area. The erratic winds grounded aerial firefighting assets Tuesday night, and ground crews were unable to keep pace with the flames’ advance overnight. See Eaton Canyon fire Page 24
Firefighting aircraft were able to resume flights Wednesday morning. Lisa Brounstein and her husband lost their 100-yearold Altadena home on West Harriet Street. They evacuated on Tuesday night after grabbing a handful of items, including some clothes, their computers and the contents of their safe. “We left behind so much, including all the tools and materials for my small business. We were sure we were going back this morning when the winds died down and the fire danger was over,” she said. “Instead, early this morning we got a notification from our alarm system that a smoke detector detected fire. Then one by one, all the
o far 20 people have been arrested in the multiple Los Angeles County fire zones for allegedly looting, authorities said Thursday as they pledged a crackdown on any crimes connected with the disaster that has claimed at least two lives, destroyed hundreds of structures and forced evacuations. “This is simply unacceptable,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said of the looting. She vowed accountability for “those who are preying on our residents at this time of crisis.” Sheriff Robert Luna said approximately 400 department personnel have been deployed in the fire zones and are on the lookout for looters. He told reporters it is a misdemeanor for unauthorized individuals to be in an evacuation area, and committing a crime in a disaster area is a felony. The sheriff said he is instructing deputies to aggressively enforce those restrictions and arrest people found in the burn areas. “I’m going to make this crystal clear to everybody out there,” Luna said. “Over last night and this morning, we are up to 20 individuals who chose to go into our areas and deprive these poor people who have been through so much of their property. Absolutely unacceptable. ... “If you are in one of these areas and you do not belong there, you are going to be subject to arrest,” Luna said. “I hope that is as clear as I can make it.” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said “these criminals need to hear ... an unmistakably clear message that if you want to ahead and loot, if you want to commit burglary, if you want to commit grand theft ... you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished to the full extent of the law.” “These acts are despicable,” Hochman said. In a statement Tuesday, Hochman said, “Let me be clear: if you think about exploiting this crisis to steal from our residents, you will be caught, arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We will not tolerate criminal behavior that further harms our community during this difficult time.” The county’s five active wildfires have burned roughly 29,000 acres total since they began during Tuesday’s windstorm. Updated information on the blazes is available at fire. ca.gov/incidents.