Thursday, July 24, 2025

Report: Just One County Fire Truck in West Altadena as Town Burned

There was just one fire truck in west Altadena when flames from the Eaton fire swept through the neighborhood at 3:08 a.m. on Jan. 8 — while more than 100 others were deployed elsewhere, according to vehicle tracking data reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

As more than 40 Los Angeles County fire engines surrounded the Palisades fire miles away, and another 64 battled the fast-moving flames in east Altadena and neighboring areas, west Altadena — a racially diverse, unincorporated community — was largely left to fend for itself.

Residents say they were abandoned, including one resident who said the county fire department failed her.

Of the 19 people who died in the Eaton fire, 18 were in west Altadena. Thousands of homes and structures were lost.

On Tuesday, the remains of another person were found.

The Times reports that public anger remains high six months later. A local research firm found nearly one in five residents believes the Los Angeles County Fire Department deliberately let the neighborhood burn.

County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone acknowledged to the Times that the absence of fire trucks in the area likely came down to “human error” in resource deployment.

Decisions were made by a unified incident command post based at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Officials have defended the department’s actions, blaming extreme wind and fire conditions for the devastation. But the vehicle location data tells a different story — one that has residents asking how much more could have been saved if the response had been different.