On the morning of January 8, the Eaton fire arose around them as representatives searched for a western Altadeena senior house.
The discharge orders for the area were issued a few hours ago, and the facility seemed to have been evacuated – but the group wanted to be firm because an elderly woman tried to leave her dog and forgot the occupation island.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Quinn Alkonis said, “Every window we have seen outside is 'fire'. “We could see flames around. It was scary. But we know that we have a job. Make sure no one left behind.”
After making sure the dog walked secure, Alconis and other representatives wiped it Montessetro The senior care community with incandescent lamps, knocking on the doors, screaming the halls. When they reached the third floor, they heard the weak voice.
“Don't miss me,” a female representative who used a walker told me. According to a video of the authorities, he has lost the 100 -year -old and his hearing AIDS is not charged. Body worn cameras.
“He was openly paying for herself to get out of the building,” Alconis said, remembering how the woman was suffocating and her nose flows. We were shocked that she was there. But we were relieved to find her in finding her. “
On the way, Alconis and his partner Nicholas Martinez led the protection of the two women, and checked that no one else was inside.
“If we weren't there, who knew what would have happened to her?” Alkonis said Wednesday morning, as it recalled the situation from the beginning of this month.
The confusing recovery in the senior community is widely underlined Complications and concerns About 10 hours after the discharge on the western part of Altatena, the Northern Lake Avenue was issued to the residents east of the Avenue. Trial.
At least 17 people died in the fire; Everyone was found west of Lake Avenue. Western Altatena had never received discharge warnings that night, and there were no evacuations for 3:30 am – after firefighters threatened the area.
County officials have called for an external review of why the exit warnings and the western Altatena's why it was so late.
Montezetro Facility is west of North Lake Avenue, in an exhaust zone that received the order on January 8 at 5:42 am – the Recent notifications to quitAccording to records Archive Alerts.
But the officials of the non -profit Episcopal communities and services operating the Montezetro facility, before the order landed, its team began to evacuate residents after 4 am, in conjunction with the LA County Fire Department and Sheriff's department. At 6 am, the radio traffic from the area called for the “four -storey active house” at the address of the Montezetro community.
In a statement, it was reported that eight city buses and two facilities buses were used to transfer residents and staff to the Pasadena Convention Center.
“Firefighters and members of the Montezetro team made two complete tour through the building, which include provoking the fire alarm and inspecting each apartment,” the report said. “However, two independent living residents do not face it. It does not include buses.”
Representatives Nicholas Martinez, left and Quinn Alkonis talk about the experience of reclaiming seniors from the Mandessestro pension community during the Eaton fire.
(Geno Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The ECS staff felt the two residents-the woman and the 100-year-old woman found in the inside were found missing at 9:30 am, the report said. They said it was not clear that the two women were “not faced in the first or second wipes of the building”.
“Move nearly 200 people successfully, some of cognitive problems or other disadvantages, thanks to their homes in a couple of hours,” said ECS chief executive James Rothrak in a statement. “After saying this, we have found the gaps in our planning and operation, and we are working to understand and adjust. Like hundreds of agencies and companies in the Los Angeles area, we have faced an unprecedented challenge.
Jason Monteel, a spokesman for the State Social Services Department licensed to Montezetro Most recently in 2023The agency is investigating what happened in the facility, but refused to comment.
Alconis and Martinez said they were sent to the site at 9 am – about three hours after the discharge orders – check the area and no pre -attempt to destroy the feature.
“We understood that this was a confusing situation – who knew what happened before we went there – but we're happy to be there,” Alconis said. “Our job is to go there and make sure they are going to leave.”
All representatives who spoke with Times on Wednesday refused to comment on the process of evacuation before they arrived or left. Martynis and Alconis, who are generally base -based, said they did not find other employees or residents during their search.
LASD officials did not immediately respond to any questions about how the two women were left behind.
Although the senior maintenance facility has escaped the fire, it suffered some small fire, according to County Damage ratings. But around it, many houses have been destroyed.
“It may have been so bad,” Martinez said. “There was a moment of fear that every corner was on the fire, but in the back of my mind, … we had to make sure everyone exit.”
