Significant progress made on Eaton fire as of Saturday, but evacuation orders remain in place

Firefighters made significant progress on day five of battling the Eaton Fire, which continues to burn in the Altadena and Pasadena areas.

By Saturday morning, containment had reached 15%, up from just 3% shortly after midnight. Cal Fire reported minimal growth for the more than 14,000-acre fire.

Officials said the blaze has damaged or destroyed over 7,000 structures, with 2,832 personnel assigned to the incident.

Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Saturday, Jan. 11, press conference that many evacuation orders have been “downgraded or lifted” related to the Eaton fire, including in Glendale, La Crescenta, much of Pasadena, Monrovia, La Cañada Flintridge, Arcadia and some areas in Sierra Madre; however, they remain in effect for the impacted areas.

On Saturday morning, several entrances along Woodbury Road leading into Altadena’s most severely burned neighborhoods were barricaded and guarded by California National Guard troops in military camouflage.

Military trucks blocked key access points, including East Woodbury Road and North Marengo Avenue. Media personnel attempting to enter or gather information were redirected to a gas station on Fair Oaks Avenue, according to an officer on the scene.

A ghost town

Altadena, once a vibrant community, now feels like a ghost town. Rows of homes that once bustled with life are now piles of ash and debris. What should have been a lively neighborhood on a typical Saturday is instead met with eerie silence, broken only by fire trucks, utility crews and police vehicles patrolling empty streets.

At the corner of North Raymond Avenue and East Calaveras Street, a weathered utility pole still bears a poster for a lost cat named “Bella,” with contact information attached. Behind it, the remnants of a home lie in ruins — only part of the brick foundation and chimney remain, with scattered remnants of furniture strewn across what was once a yard.

To the south in Pasadena, signs of cleanup and community were visible on Saturday, with people coming together to help as the winds eased and the Eaton fire briefly slowed.

Volunteers from the Pasadena Community Job Center, which connects day laborers and migrant workers with a variety of services in the area, were fanning out to help clean up wind-ravaged areas of Pasadena.

By around 9 a.m. Saturday, 150 people, including migrant laborers and local residents, had signed up to help clean up Pasadena’s downed tree branches, said Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).

Saturday’s clean-ups were part of a weeklong effort at the Job Center on Lake Avenue, where many local migrant workers lost everything except the clothes on their backs.

In one case, a woman came in saying her apartment complex had burned down.

“She said she’d lost everything, and not only that but my employer’s house burned down. So, I don’t have a home and I don’t have a job,” Alvarado said.

And yet, with many similar stories of people in the day laborer network, Alvarado said many could only offer what they had — their labor.

So, they’ve been volunteering all week, helping not only others in the migrant network but also cleaning up the wind-damaged city.

The outpouring of support has been stunning, said Alvarado. Many have been picking up fallen tree limbs. Others have actually stayed at their employers’ homes, helping to maintain them while the owners are out of the city.

Donations have also poured in, including toothpaste, diapers, clothing and more.

“It’s beautiful to see the migrant families, that have been stigmatize in ugly ways. But when you see them, they are there, helping others. That’s the essence of who migrants are.

“In these moments of hopelessness, hope is not just something out of thin air. Hope is built by people.”

Mandatory curfew orders remain in effect

Luna said 19 arrests have been made in the Eaton area and urged residents to comply with the curfew.

“All these individuals were in areas they were not supposed to be there, meaning they had no business being there,” he said, but “most of the arrests were made for burglary, looting, including trespassing, possession of narcotics, identify theft.”

He announced Saturday morning that they have launched a search and rescue task force, with 40 members from specialized teams joining forces with partners including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the L.A. Coroner’s Office, FEMA, and cadaver dogs to “search for remains and reunite families.”

“They will conduct systematic grid searches that will commence this morning to locate missing persons and reunite families,” he said. “Due to safety concerns, we are unable to search the impacted areas during the hours of darkness, so this will only be taking place while there’s light.”

While the Eaton Fire is “static at this time,” according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, gusty northeast winds are expected to return to the area Saturday night into Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Marrone said moderate to strong Santa Ana winds will impact the county on Saturday, Sunday and next week from Monday to Wednesday.

“These winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County high,” he said.

Fire officials suspect that more than 7,000 homes, business and other structures in Altadena, Sierra Madre and Pasadena have been damaged or destroyed by the wind-driven flames. Crews have not officially confirmed most of that damage.

Six people died in the Eaton fire, the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said Friday. Luna said Saturday morning that the Sheriff’s Department has confirmed 11 deaths in their jurisdiction, including eight in the Eaton fire.

This is a developing story. Please check back for more.