Los Angeles County Report Finds Chaos Hobbled Eaton Fire Response, Killing 19 in Altadena
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Los Angeles County Report Finds Chaos Hobbled Eaton Fire Response, Killing 19 in Altadena
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 18
A county-commissioned report found Los Angeles County’s response to the 2025 Eaton fire was hindered by chaos and limited resources, but uncovered no misconduct or discrimination.
West Altadena residents had raised alarms over delayed evacuation orders after many in the largely Black neighborhood were told to leave only when flames were near—or after escape routes had narrowed.
Nineteen people died in the Eaton fire, and nearly all lived in West Altadena; the blaze erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, as officials were already stretched by the Palisades fire about 35 miles away.
The Eaton and Palisades fires together killed at least 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 buildings, underscoring the county’s push to turn the report’s findings into future preparedness changes.
A report clears officials, yet a civil rights probe continues. Was the deadly Altadena fire response a tragedy or discrimination?
A utility faces a criminal probe over the fire's origin. What secrets about the inferno are being kept from victims?
With investors buying burned lots, will recovery rebuild a historic Black community or permanently erase it for profit?