After a report from The Times, officials have called for an external review into delayed evacuation alerts in western Altadena, during the Eaton fire.
When fires swept through Altadena, in Los Angeles County, generational wealth and a place of opportunity for people of color, went up in smoke.
As the Eaton fire retreated into the foothills, people who had fled their homes came back for a look. For many, the news was as bad as it could be.
Families of color, making up over half of Altadena, have bought homes and kept them for generations. The Black homeownership rate exceeds 80%, almost double the national rate.
We continue our coverage of the devastating wildfires in Southern California, which have killed at least 24 people as of Monday. Some 150,000 more have been forced to evacuate their homes and over 40,
You can find links in the article below with more information on how to help those affected by the California wildfires.
But a drive through the charred neighborhoods around Altadena shows that the fires ... Some now fear the most destructive fires in California’s history have altered that for good.
As climate change warms the planet, wildfires have become so unpredictable and extreme that new words were invented: firenado, gigafire, fire siege — even fire pandemic. California has 78 more annual “fire days” — when conditions are ripe for fires to spark — than 50 years ago.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said firefighters from Mexico were en route to help fight the Eaton Fire. The Eaton Fire is one of several still burning and devastating the Los Angeles area. The fire was first reported Tuesday, Jan. 7, near Altadena and Midwick drives.
After authorities reopened parts of Altadena for the first time since the Eaton fire, residents returned to a grim checkerboard of destroyed homes next to others that were largely spared.
Rodney Nickerson had lived in Altadena since 1968, when he bought his three-bedroom house on Alta Pine Drive with $5 down. The 82-year-old military veteran and church deacon received no warnings to evacuate before the Eaton fire swept through his neighborhood,
Attorneys for a woman who is among thousands who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire outside Los Angeles say Southern California Edison crews working to repair and restore power