Consultant finds no discrimination in LA County response to Eaton fire

Los Angeles county fire officials did not discriminate on the basis of race or socioeconomic status and did not delay evacuation orders during last year’s deadly Eaton fire in Altadena, a consulting firm found Monday.

At the request of the county and its fire department, California-based Citygate Associates investigated how evacuation alerts were deployed last January after emergency response officials faced intense scrutiny over reported delays.

On the evening of January 7, 2025, the Eaton fire began, ultimately destroying more than 9,000 buildings and killing 19 people in the San Gabriel Mountains foothill communities.

Citygate wrote in its report that fire officials were often blind to the “atypical” blaze’s progression. The firm interviewed fire and sheriff’s department officials and reviewed dispatch logs, weather data and alert records.

Aircraft operations were grounded due to high winds, according to the firm. Warnings and orders were issued as officials became aware of the fire’s spread into northwestern Altadena.

The individuals who perished mostly lived west of Lake Avenue, a major north-south thoroughfare. That western corridor contained a historic African American, middle-class enclave.

According to some media reports, residents in west Altadena received evacuation orders nearly 10 hours later than their counterparts to the east. Outcry erupted from survivors. 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 initiated this independent investigation,” Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

“While the report provides an honest account of our operations, we recognize that no investigation can truly capture the horror and tragedy residents endured. My focus is to ensure that the lessons learned from the Eaton and Palisades fires are turned into lasting changes that will better protect our residents and neighborhoods into the future,” Marrone added.

Referencing the debate over how race and class may have factored into the response, Citygate said evacuation planners had relied on major north-south and east-west streets, such as Lake Avenue, as anchors for evacuation zones.

Citygate also noted that the fire department’s resources were stretched thin due to a rapidly expanding fire that same day in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood about 34 miles (55 km) to the west.

Altadena for Accountability, a group that has supported Bonta’s investigation, criticized the report as “pages of deflection” in a Tuesday statement.

“Fires and emergencies rarely come without chaos. First responders and tax funded agencies have a duty to treat communities equitably and to prevent harm that is preventable,” the group said. “The complexity of the fire is not an excuse.”

The advocacy group faulted the firm’s methodology, saying the emphasis on accounts from “department insiders” minimized the experiences of residents who were on the scene.