Monday, February 3, 2025

Residents Return to Eaton Burn Areas; Health Protections Advised

CITY NEWS SERVICE

As residents continue returning to the Eaton burn areas, authorities are urging them Monday to be aware of potential health hazards and wear masks, gloves and other protective gear if they are digging through rubble, noting the toxic nature of wildfire ash and other debris.

County public health officials are distributing personal protective equipment to those who need it.

Nightly curfew orders remain in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the burn areas in an effort to restrict unnecessary access and prevent looting.

Both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas, which erupted on Jan. 7, were fully contained as of Friday, according to CalFire.

Another Southland blaze that broke out later in January, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic Lake area, burned 10,425 acres and was fully contained Friday, the agency said.

The Eaton Fire caused at least 17 deaths, destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073 more while burning 14,021 acres.

Monday, February 3, 2025

SBA Offers One-On-One Recovery Consultations For Eaton Fire Victims This Morning

Local business owners affected by disaster to receive personalized federal assistance guidance at free event

A four-hour disaster recovery program today featuring individualized SBA consultations will offer business owners affected or destroyed by the Eaton Fire personalized pathways to rebuild through federal assistance programs. The free event, sponsored by Congresswoman Judy Chu in partnership with the Altadena Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Small Business Administration, takes place Monday, February 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at First AME Church in Pasadena.

The program begins with an overview of disaster assistance available through the SBA, followed by one-on-one consultations for interested business owners. This targeted approach aims to provide affected businesses with direct access to federal recovery resources.

Small business owners will meet individually with SBA advisors to discuss their specific situations and available disaster assistance options. The personalized consultations allow business owners to receive detailed guidance tailored to their recovery needs.

The event, to be held at 1700 North Raymond Avenue,

Monday, February 3, 2025

Southern California Burn Areas Brace for Rain This Week

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A storm system is expected to bring widespread rain and gusty winds to Southern California beginning Tuesday, raising fears of possible debris flows in recent burn areas.

The National Weather Service expressed “high confidence in widespread periods of rain in the Tuesday through Friday” period. Early estimates suggest most areas will see moderate rainfall, with about an inch in coastal and valley regions and two to three inches in the foothills and mountains.

Forecasters said the rainfall poses minimal threat of triggering destructive mudslides or debris flows in Southern California’s recent burn areas. However, some risk remains, and officials were taking pains to provide every precaution possible.

“The peak of the event will be from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning,” the NWS said, adding that the chance of rain and the rainfall intensity will decrease Wednesday afternoon and evening. Another bout of rain is expected either Thursday or Friday, with dry skies returning by Saturday.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is cleaning drainage facilities and debris basins,

Monday, February 3, 2025

Metro Expands Transit Program to Help Wildfire Victims

Program offers free rides through modified LIFE regional subsidy eligibility requirements

Metro has expanded its Low Income Fare Is Easy (LIFE) program to provide free public transit access for residents affected by recent wildfires. The initiative modifies existing eligibility requirements to include wildfire victims as part of the regional subsidy program, which operates across multiple transit agencies including Pasadena Transit, according to Joaquin T. Siques, Pasadena’s Director of Transportation.

Under the modified program, enrolled participants receive a preloaded TAP card with a free pass valid for the first 90 days on all participating transit agencies, including Metro and Pasadena Transit.

Following this initial period, participants automatically receive 20 free regional rides monthly for the remaining duration of the program, which currently extends to six months. These rides can be used on any participating agency including Pasadena Transit.

Registration can be completed online or in person.

Current program details and in-person enrollment locations are available at https://www.metro.net/fireresponse/.

Monday, February 3, 2025

Local Armenian American Community Rallies as Homes and School Lost in Pasadena Crisis

Outpouring of support transforms youth center into emergency hub as residents face widespread displacement

In a swift response to the devastating Eaton Fire the Armenian-American community in Pasadena and Altadena has transformed the Jivalagian Youth Center into an emergency relief hub, coordinating a multi-organizational effort to support displaced residents and damaged institutions.

“It’s been quite devastating. The carnage has been tremendous and so many victims that we know of the Armenian American community, and of course many of our Pasadena residents have been affected by this as well. Most, if not all, have lost their homes entirely,” said Danny L. Donabedian, chairperson of the Armenian National Committee (ANCA) Pasadena Chapter, speaking from the center at 2242 East Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena.

The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) has taken a leading role, maintaining round-the-clock operations at the center for ten consecutive days. Their efforts have focused on distributing essential supplies, including food, clothing, batteries, flashlights, and infant necessities to affected residents.

The fire has dealt a particularly severe blow to Armenian educational institutions.

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Eaton Fire Reaches Full Containment After Devastating Altadena and Portions of Pasadena

The Eaton Fire was declared 100% contained by fire officials late Friday night. The wildfire, which started on January 7 above Eaton Canyon near Altadena Drive at Midwick Drive, consumed 14,021 acres. As it burned, it claimed at least 17 lives, destroyed over 9,400 structures, and changed Altadena and Pasadena forever.

“I am incredibly grateful to the courageous firefighters, first responders, and emergency personnel who worked tirelessly to contain the Eaton Fire,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, who represents both Altadena and Pasadena. “Their hard work and perseverance is world class.”

Investigators continue to examine the cause of the blaze, with current suspicions focused on an electrical tower owned by Southern California Edison.

Massive recovery efforts by federal, state, county and local agencies are now underway. A flood of donations of money, food, and supplies has poured into the area to help those who lost their homes and possessions.

Insurance companies have paid out hundreds of millions to Eaton Fire victims so far.

Friday, January 31, 2025

Thousands More Students Return to Pasadena Unified Campuses on Thursday

By EDDIE RIVERA

As many as 7,111 TK-12th grade students, in addition to students in children’s centers, returned to Pasadena public school campuses on Thursday following closures caused by the Eaton Fire.

Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco, Ed.D., Board President Jennifer Hall Lee, and other officials welcomed students, families, and staff from Eliot Arts Magnet Academy – one of the District’s schools lost to the Eaton Fire – to the McKinley School campus.

Elsewhere students returned to Altadena Arts Magnet at Allendale; Jackson STEM Elementary, Longfellow Magnet Elementary, Webster Elementary Elementary, John Muir Early College Magnet High School; Marshall Fundamental, Octavia E Butler, Magnet Middle School, and Pasadena High School.

“I’m so excited to see all the students returning to McKinley,” said a beaming Jennifer Hall Lee, PUSD Board President.

“They are the ‘Tiger Nation,’” she said. “These kids are wonderful, and it was just lovely to hear their principal engaging with them.”

Echoing Lee,

Friday, January 31, 2025

PUSD Reports Over 10,000 Students Impacted by Eaton Fire, Nearly 1,000 Lost Homes

District scrambles to relocate multiple school communities as recovery efforts continue amid unprecedented crisis

At a lengthy and emotional Pasadena Unified School District Board Special Regular Meeting on Thursday night, District officials revealed that approximately 10,000 of the District’s 14,000 students were affected by the Eaton Canyon Fire, with staff members and families losing their homes in the devastating blaze that struck on January 7 and 8.

“Our community has suffered a tremendous loss and I believe that the purpose of this resolution is to make a commitment to our overall desire for Pasadena Unified School District to restore, recommit, and to rise after this devastation,” said Board Member Patrice Marshall McKenzie, as the Board voted 6-1 to approve Resolution 2800 committing to rebuild Eliot Arts Magnet.

The District has undertaken a massive reorganization of school facilities to deal with changes wrought by the fire.

Elliot Arts Magnet is now co-located with McKinley, Altadena Arts Magnet has moved to the Allendale campus,

Friday, January 31, 2025

Hazardous Waste Removal Efforts Intensify

CITY NEWS SERVICE

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency crews continue working Friday to identify and remove hazardous waste from properties ravaged in this month’s wildfires, as many residents return to sift through the rubble of what used to be their homes.

Questions continued to linger about exactly how long it would take for residents to begin the rebuilding process, but county and federal officials said Wednesday the process was being expedited as much as possible. The first phase of the cleanup effort — the removal of hazardous materials from properties in the burn area — was underway, with the EPA under demand to complete the work in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones within 30 days.

Status updates on the EPA’s work, including an interactive map of individual fire-affected properties, are available online at https://www.epa.gov/ca/2025-california-wildfires.

As that process continued, officials urged affected residents to fill out “Right of Entry” forms to either opt in or out of a free debris-clearance program offered by the U.S.

Friday, January 31, 2025

Many Homeowners Underinsured For Rebuild

By André Coleman, Managing Editor

According to a longtime insurance agent, about 10% to 15% of homeowners are underinsured.

Underinsured homeowners have policies with coverage limits that are too low to fully cover the cost of rebuilding their home in the event of a major damage event like the Eaton Fire, which decimated homes in Altadena.

“Lately we see a lot of people that are underinsured,” said the agent, who has been in the industry for nearly 30 years and did not wish to use his name.

Underinsured homeowners could end up responsible for a significant portion of the rebuilding costs out of pocket.

Key factors that can lead to being underinsured include choosing a policy based on market value instead of replacement cost and not considering the potential costs of rebuilding to current building codes.

According to residential designer and Altadena resident Steve Lamb, that is going to be a problem.

“Even the houses that were remodeled or redid 10 years ago,”