Firm finds LA county officials did not discriminate in response to Eaton fire | Los Angeles
Los Angeles County fire officials did not discriminate based on race or socioeconomic status and did not delay evacuation orders during last year’s deadly Eaton fire in Altadena, a consulting firm launched Monday.
California-based firm Citygate Associates, at the behest of the county and the fire department, conducted an investigation last January into how evacuation notices were enforced after emergency responders came under severe scrutiny for reported delays.
The Eaton fire began on the evening of January 7, 2025, eventually destroying more than 9,000 buildings and killing 19 people in communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Fire officials were often blind to the progress of an “unusual” fire, Citygate wrote in its report. The firm interviewed fire and sheriff’s department officials and reviewed shipping records, weather data and alert logs.
According to the company, aircraft operations were stopped due to strong winds. Warnings and orders were issued as officials became aware the fire was spreading into northwest Altadena.
Most of those killed lived west of Lake Avenue, a major thoroughfare that runs north to south. This western corridor contained a historic African American, middle-class enclave.
West Altadena residents were ordered to evacuate about 10 hours later than their eastern counterparts, according to some media reports. There were cries from those who survived the fire. In February, California attorney general Rob Bonta launched a civil rights investigation into the emergency response.
“The Altadena community deserves transparency, which is why I launched this independent investigation,” said Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
“While the report provides an honest account of our operations, we recognize that no investigation can truly reflect the horror and tragedy experienced by residents. My focus is to ensure that the lessons learned from the Eaton and Palisades fires are translated into lasting changes that will better protect our residents and neighborhoods in the future.”
Evacuation planners rely on major north-south and east-west thoroughfares like Lake Avenue as anchors for evacuation zones, Citygate said, touching on the debate about how race and class affect emergency response.
Citygate also said the fire department’s resources were stretched thin by a rapidly spreading blaze that same day in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, about 34 miles (55km) west.
Altadena for Accountability, a group that supported Bonta’s investigation, called the report “pages of aberration” in a statement Tuesday.
“Fires and emergencies rarely come without chaos. First responders and tax-funded agencies have a duty to treat communities fairly and prevent preventable harm,” the group said. “The complexity of the fire is no excuse.”
The advocacy group faulted the firm’s methodology, saying the emphasis on testimony from “department insiders” minimized the experiences of residents at the scene.
