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Late evacuation orders in Altadena: Could more lives have been spared? – Jobsmaa.com

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Even when their son fled their East Altadena condo on the evening of Jan. 7 — shortly after Eaton ignited the fire – Justin Chapman's parents stayed at their family home half a mile away.

Chapman said their neighborhood west of North Lake Avenue had not yet received any evacuation warnings, so her parents felt safe at home and waited for authorities to determine if they were in harm's way.

“They decided to stick it out and went to sleep that night, then woke up at 3 a.m. to a firestorm around their house and flames burning over their house,” Chapman said. “At that point, it wasn't an evacuation yet [order].”

Broken plates among the rubble.

Broken plates amid the rubble at Altadena resident Xinyi Poe's Maiden Lane home.

(Brian van der Brueck/Los Angeles Times)

But when their family home caught fire, Chapman's parents fled. They didn't hear any officers knocking on their doors or alerting residents over loudspeakers, he said.

“They were very lucky they got up when they got up,” Chapman said. “It was hours later, when it was too late – it was very worrying that the houses were on fire.”

Evacuation orders were issued for most of the area around 3:30 a.m., about nine hours after the fire. Although several fires were reported west of the North Lake Avenue boundary, the area had not previously received electronic evacuation warnings. Review of The Times.

Revelations about the timing of the evacuations have added to growing unrest and anger in Altadena, where at least 17 lives and more than 9,000 structures — many of them homes — were lost to the fire.

All known deaths from the fire occurred in areas west of North Lake Avenue, where electronic evacuation orders were issued around 3:30 a.m. — or later, in some cases. Witnesses said LA County sheriff's deputies drove down some streets in the area around 2 a.m. urging people to leave, but it was unclear how extensive those efforts were or when they began.

Three people.

Longtime Altadena resident Pierre Depuy, 65, center, who lost his home and his parents and brother lost their homes in the Eaton fire, is hugged by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barker as they speak with California Atty. General Rob Bonda and surveyed the fire damage.

(Alan J. Shaben/Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barker, who represents Altadena, expressed deep concern about the disparity in alerts and has called for an external review of evacuation policies and warning systems. After the Times reported the delayed evacuation orders on Monday. The investigation described how evacuation warnings were delayed for much of western Altadena even as the fire threatened the area.

“I haven't seen any response from officials about what happened there,” said Chapman, a former Altadena Town Council member who now works for Pasadena Councilman Steve Madison. “Somewhere there was a communication breakdown. … It probably cost some, if not all, of those lives.

The family of a man who died in West Altadena, Rodney Nickerson, told the Times Their father did not want to leave his house, but if he ordered to leave. It never happened.

While Chapman was thankful his family got out safely, both his brother's condo and their family home, where Chapman lived, were destroyed in the fire. On Jan. 7, Chapman wasn't home with his parents, but timely and targeted alerts could have changed the way his family — and many others — reacted.

“If there was even an evacuation warning west of the lake, I would have gone home Tuesday night, packed more stuff and made my parents leave,” he said. “But because there was no warning, I went to sleep that night thinking our house would be all right.”

A woman holds a candle to her face in front of a row of glowing candles.

Rosalita Miranda holds a candle to honor the victims of the Eaton fire during a vigil in Pasadena.

(Wally Scalige/Los Angeles Times)

Some community leaders have also raised concerns about equity in late warnings: West Altadena has a racially different makeup than neighborhoods to the east and is known for its rich black history.

Earl Ofary Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, said at a news conference Wednesday that officials “dropped the ball badly” by not issuing timely evacuation warnings to areas in West Altadena. Fast moving fireIt ignited when dangerous air Hit 100 mph.

“The reality is that some parts of Altadena, mostly white, got the warning,” he said, but the most racially diverse part of Altadena was given an evacuation order much later. “African Americans, once again, got the short end of the stick.”

In the 1960s and 70s, North Lake Avenue in Altadena served as the primary east-west dividing line for redlining practices. Altadena Historical Society. Black homebuyers pushed west, while white residents dominated the east side. These racial divisions have been going on for ages.

In 2023, Altadena Census Areas east of Lake Avenue had black population percentages in the single digits, with whites accounting for 60% of the population in each area. West of the lake, black and Latino residents make up the majority of every Altadena census tract. The area maintains a vibrant black community.

Hutchinson called California Atty. General Rob Ponta should conduct an expeditious inquiry into the matter.

“Locals should pay massive compensation, massive compensation,” Hutchinson said, calling for an amnesty. “The failure to provide timely warning to residents of a predominantly African American neighborhood resulted in extensive property damage and, more importantly, massive and unnecessary injury and loss of life.”

A woman stands among the ruins of a house.

Donning protective gear, Eaton fire victim Liz O is emotional as she stops to search for memorabilia and valuables among the wreckage of her six-year-old home on West Marigold Street in Altadena.

(Alan J. Shaben/Los Angeles Times)

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said the organization is aware of the alert issue and has heard from residents living in Altadena neighborhoods who did not receive evacuation alerts until several hours after other nearby neighborhoods did.

Altadena has been a base for the NAACP in Southern California for years and, given its history and high rate of black homeowners, Johnson said, is often used as a model for how black families can build equity through home ownership. This prompted the NAACP to make sure that the response to the fire and the recovery now underway is as equitable as possible. He said any questions are related to some neighborhoods not receiving timely alerts.

“The real question is, why?” Johnson said. “Why is that when they're in the same area?”

Johnson said the NAACP is working to verify the reports and to investigate public officials. The NAACP filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison last week as co-counsel with the firm Singleton Schreiber, which represents an Altadena family.

Johnson said it's important to investigate concerns that residents in one neighborhood may not receive the same alerts or assistance that others have.

He said there should be accountability. “And people died because of it. … It's worrisome when the disparities emerge, no matter what it looks like.”

Barker, citing The Times report, told Altadena residents at a town council meeting this week that a review of what happened — and what could have gone wrong — is necessary.

“We don't have all the facts, but I think it's important for us to find the lessons learned,” Barker said late Tuesday. He plans to introduce a motion for an outside review next week and has already asked district attorneys to begin finding counsel.

“I have deep concerns,” Barker said.

Officials said emergency evacuation alerts are issued through a unified command that includes local agencies including the county Office of Emergency Management and the county fire and sheriff's departments. The warning system suffered other problems during the days-long firestorm in Los Angeles County, including a wireless warning about an evacuation alert that hit millions of phones intended only for a small geographic area near the Hurst fire. Then, that false alarm kept going out, Seemingly by accidentcausing widespread panic and forcing the sector Make changes.

LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told The Times that decisions on evacuation zones in the Eaton fire were made through “a team effort” with input from his agency, the Sheriff's Department and the Office of Emergency Management.

“This is of serious public interest — 17 people passed away west of Lake Avenue, and I have to get the facts,” Marrone told the Times. “I knock on wood, but if it's the fire department's failure, I'll own it.”

Marron stressed to firefighters on the ground that the night played no role in deciding which neighborhoods received an evacuation order or warning. He said his firefighters, along with sheriff's deputies, helped evacuate about 500 people from their homes.

“They did a fantastic job that night. They put their lives on the line,” he said. If there's a problem with emergency evacuation alerts, “It's going to rest at my level with my command. … If we know we're not doing something right, it's with me.

Times staff writers Richard Winton and Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.

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