This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Five people have died in the Eaton Fire and a significant number of people injured as of Wednesday evening, officials said. Four firefighters were also injured as the fire continues to spread beyond Altadena, according to L.A. County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone.
The L.A. County Fire Department estimates more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged. The fire remains 0% contained, but weather conditions were expected to improve.
“Growth has been significantly stopped,” Marrone said. “It’s not growing, but it’s not contained.”
The fire is now estimated at more than 10,600 acres after quickly burning near Eaton Canyon in Altadena as firefighting resources were maxed out due to the Santa Ana-fueled windstorm.
“My heart is heavy,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who toured the fire area. “It’s surreal.”
On Thursday morning, the city of Glendale announced evacuation orders were lifted for residents in Glenoaks Canyon and Chevy Chase Canyon.
The basics –
Acreage: 10,600 acres as of Thursday morning
Containment: 0%
Resources: 879 firefighters assigned
Structures destroyed: 972
Deaths: 5 civilians
Injuries: 4 firefighters
Mass evacuations in place
Roughly 100,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders. Another 100,000 are under an evacuation warning. Barger warned looters to stay out of the area. “To those who want to loot, the full weight of the county will come down on you,” she said.
Evacuation orders are in place for areas in Altadena, Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and all of La Cañada Flintridge. Some parts of Glendale are also under evacuation orders.
“It’s been a brutal 22 hours,” Pasadena City Manager Miguel Márquez said Wednesday afternoon, He described police rushing door to door overnight to get people out of the way of the fast moving fire.
“They saved many, many lives, he added. “Their efforts were heroic.”
Marquez promised the community will rebuild.
“In this community we may get knocked down but we always get up,” he said. “We will heal.”
The city of Pasadena has issued an advisory warning residents to not drink tap water or use it in cooking in the evacuated areas until further notice. The city says its water system is potentially impacted with debris and elevated turbidity.
The city warns that boiling, freezing, filtering or treating tap water in any way would not make it any safer. Instead, bottled water should be sued for all drinking — including baby formula and juice, teeth brushing, dish washing, making ice, and for any food preparation.
The tap water advisory also applies to pets.
Losses –
The Los Angeles County Parks Department issued a statement saying staff was “unable to activate our evacuation plan for the reptiles and valuable items at Eaton Canyon Nature Center.”
“We are devastated by the overwhelming impacts of these fires. Sadly, our beloved Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Farnsworth Park – Davies Community Center – on the National Historic Register, and the Altadena Golf Course Club House and adjacent buildings were destroyed in the Eaton fire. Currently, Charles White and Loma Alta parks in Altadena have fire damage,” according to the statement.
Five schools in the Pasadena Unified School District suffered substantial damage, according to Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco. Eighty percent of Franklin Elementary burned, she said.
According to authorities, the fire started near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive, and quickly grew, burning homes as many people left in their cars and on foot. Authorities said the cause of the fire is currently unknown but they are investigating.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their homes and even their lives,” Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo said. “We have experienced a tremendous tragedy.”
“This is an opportunity for us as a community, as a people, to band together to work to support one another,” he said.
President Joe Biden approved a Presidential Major Emergency Declaration on Wednesday to support the response to the wildfires. He said on social media that he’s directed the Department of Defense to provide additional personnel, and 10 Navy helicopters with water buckets are on the way.
“To the residents of Southern California: We are with you,” Biden wrote on X.
Evacuation orders –
Numerous evacuation orders are in effect, and have been expanded, for parts of Pasadena, Altadena, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge. Evacuation orders and warnings are changing fast, so check out the most up to date, interactive map here.
The city of Pasadena said on social media that it’s receiving requests to check on family and friends who’ve been evacuated. You can call the Pasadena Police non-emergency line at (626) 744-4241 — but only after you’ve tried to reach them in other ways.
An elderly person wearing a mask in a chair is pushed by a woman also in a mask. There’s an emergency vehicle in the background.
Shelters –
Pasadena Convention Center — 300 E. Green St., Pasadena | Parking is available at the parking structure across the street, at 155 E. Green St.
Westwood Recreation Center — 1350 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles
El Camino Real Charter High School — 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills
Pomona Fairplex — 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona
Animal shelters
Large animals:
Pomona Fairplex — 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona
Industry Hills Expo — 16200 Temple Ave
Los Angeles Equestrian Center — 480 W Riverside Dr, Burbank
Small animals:
Augora Animal Care Center — 4275 Elton St, Baldwin Park
Downey Animal Care Center — 11258 Garfield Ave, Downey
El Camino High School — 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills
Lancaster Animal Care Center — 5210 W Ave I, Lancaster
Palmdale Animal Care Center — 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale
Pasadena Humane Society — 361 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena
Los Angeles Equestrian Center — 480 W Riverside Dr., Burbank
Pierce College Equestrian Center — 7100 El Rancho Drive, Woodland Hills
Agoura Animal Care Center — 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills
Note: The Pasadena Humane Society said they had received more than 250 pets to shelter and said they were at near capacity. It’s also been collecting small animals who have to be sheltered elsewhere.
The organization is requesting emergency donations, including food, water bowls, extra large crates, and blankets. They can be dropped off at a donation bin in the front parking lot.
School closures
The following school district campuses will are closed Thursday, Jan. 9, due to winds and fire:
Alhambra Unified
Arcadia Unified
Garvey School District
Glendale Unified
La Cañada Flintridge Unified
Monrovia Unified
Pasadena Unified
San Gabriel Unified
San Marino Unified
South Pasadena Unified
Temple City Unified
Pasadena Unified will be closed for the rest of the week. Rosemead School District, which was closed Wednesday, announced it would reopen Thursday. You can find a full list of school closures here.
Road closures
They include:
Casitas Avenue from Woodbury Road to Ventura Street
El Molino Avenue from Woodbury Road to Fontanet Way
Fair Oaks Avenue from Woodbury Road to Loma Alta Drive
Lake Avenue from Woodbury Road to Loma Alta Drive
Marengo Avenue from Woodbury Road to Loma Alta Drive
Glenrose Avenue from Woodbury Road to Loma Alta Drive
Lincoln Avenue from Woodbury Road to Loma Alta Drive
Santa Anita from Woodbury Road to Concha Street
Santa Rosa Avenue from Woodbury Road to Athens Street
Windsor Avenue from Woodbury Road to Ventura Street
Angeles Forest Highway from Big Tujunga Canyon Road to Angeles Crest Highway
Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road from Angeles Forest Highway to Angeles Crest Highway
What evacuees are saying –
Patricia Gerpheide evacuated from the Monte Cedric retirement community in Altadena early Wednesday morning with 200 other people.
She said when she woke up at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the wind was blowing “dramatically hard” and she knew there would be problems.
“I looked out my window and across the street, there were two small fires burning and I thought it’s so covered with smoke that no one will find them, so I thought I better get ready,” she said. “By the time I had my things packed and ready to walk out the door, which was very quick, I looked out again and there were fires all over the place.”
Michelle Zvonec, who lives in Sierra Madre, said the evacuation orders came quickly. She managed to take with her things of sentimental value, but said she didn’t get as much clothes or even a jacket.
“I packed like I was going to go to a hotel room and come back and get more stuff tomorrow,” she said. “It was really weird.”
Part of Katie Fulford’s home was destroyed while her neighbors “lost everything.” She’s lived near West Grandview and Auburn Avenue for about a decade, but said she hasn’t been through a wildfire like this before.
“ That was my art studio, that was just about finished, and all my art for years and years and years is now pretty much gone,” she said. “ We all survived, that’s the important part. I’ll remind myself that when I’m feeling all the sadness.”
-LAist
