Free Republic

A new UCLA study found that the Eaton fire disproportionally impacted Altadena’s Black community and that systemic inequality and redlining contributed to fire vulnerability.

New video evidence appears to show the devastating Eaton Fire, which destroyed most of Altadena and parts of northern Pasadena, may have originated with Southern California Edison (SCE) transmission towers in the San Gabriel Mountains. The Eaton Fire destroyed nearly 9,500 structures, displacing thousands of people, causing an estimated $10 billion in loses while severely damaging the local economy. Since the fire erupted on January 7, lawsuits have been filed against SCE in an attempt hold the company liable for allegedly failing to shut off the power grid despite heavy winds approaching 100mph. While SCE maintains it followed procedure, residents...

A group of California firefighters stopped a looter from robbing a burned-down house and jetting off with an Emmy Award that had miraculously survived the fiery carnage of the Eaton Fire. Smoke eaters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were working in a burned-down Altadena neighborhood on Thursday when they came across two suspicious people who were leaving one of the properties. One of the firefighters confronted a woman – wearing a dark sweatshirt and skirt over sweatpants – carrying possessions from the home including the prestigious award. ... No way, you are not doing this,” the first responder...

Not quite six years ago, wildfire expert Jack Cohen, who lives in Missoula, Mont., visited Pacific Palisades to instruct firefighters and property owners on how to protect homes against wildfires. Three days of training, including a tour of the community, left Cohen hopeful, but the feeling faded when it became clear that his lessons were not going to be fully implemented. This week’s tragedy has left him with a deep sadness. Respected by fire agencies across the country, Cohen and Pyne have found their straight-talk admonitions often disregarded or dismissed. Sensitive to losses and suffering, both said they are motivated...

CNN’s Kyung Lah talks to members of an extended family who all live in Altadena, California, and who say they feel helpless about what to do next after losing their homes in the wildfires.

Federal investigators have concluded that an Arizona district school board failed to protect a middle school student from antisemitic harassment by classmates. The US Department of Education said in a statement that the Tempe area Kyrene School District did not respond appropriately to months of antisemitic harassment experienced by an Altadena Middle School student, which was a violated of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. According to the investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the harassment took place over the course of five months, both on school grounds and online and was perpetrated by nine...

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- A man was arrested Tuesday after deputies caught him setting a fire in a steep, remote canyon filled with dry brush and large trees in the Angeles National Forest, according to sheriff detectives. Hikers in a remote trail about a half-mile north of the Eaton Canyon Bridge in Altadena saw a man making a fire there and alerted authorities, sheriff's Detective Ed Nordskog said. Los Angeles County Parks officials and deputies arrived about 10 a.m. as the man was standing next to a fire about four feet in diameter. He warned the deputies to stay away...

Girl Missing After Father Found Dead Father's Body Found Near Chico Posted: 2:40 p.m. PDT May 31, 2002Updated: 2:49 p.m. PDT May 31, 2002 CHICO, Calif. -- Butte County authorities are searching for an 11-year-old girl following the discovery of the body of her father. The body of Joaquin Garcia, 45, of Downey, Calif., was found near Chico earlier this week. Authorities said Garcia died from a gunshot wound to the head. An autopsy was performed Thursday in an effort to determine whether the fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted, but results are not expected to be made public before...