Anger abounds west of Altadena: Where is accountability for 19 deaths, a staggering loss?

The “Rising Together” float in Pasadena’s Rose Parade was supposed to celebrate Los Angeles’ resilience in the face of an unprecedented double disaster that destroyed thousands of homes and claimed 31 lives last January.

But amid the proud phoenix float and the colorful California poppies, distraught fire survivors issued an unexpected message: “AG Bonta, Altadena wants an investigation.”

An exhibit worker quickly took down the sign, but the statement became its own signature, punctuating conversations about recovery and progress with nagging questions that continue to haunt many survivors of the Eaton fire:

Why weren’t timely evacuation warnings issued west of Altadena, which accounted for nearly all of the Eaton fire deaths and experienced extensive destruction?

Why were there almost no fire trucks in west Altadena, known as a historically Black, poor area of ​​the unincorporated town?

And why has repeated testing resulted in almost no response? No accountability?

“It’s a shame that we haven’t seen any kind of serious action right now to fix the mistakes that were made in this fire,” said Gina Clayton-Johnson, a lifelong Altadenan who helped open the seal on the Tournament of Roses float. “We have a responsibility to never allow this type of thing to happen again.”

That feeling was highlighted this week as the community celebrated the first anniversary of the fire.

At a memorial rally Wednesday night, Clayton-Johnson urged her neighbors — and, hopefully, neighbors — to join a growing coalition calling California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to launch a full, independent investigation into the response to the fires that devastated their community, killing 19 and destroying more than 9,000 properties.

“As someone who wants to come back to this community but not be stupid enough to come back … I want answers,” Clayton-Johnson told the crowd gathered at Fair Oaks Burger, an Altadena staple that survived the storm. “How is it possible that this tragedy happened in such a way that people died? … How is it possible that people escaped the flames [and] didn’t you get the exit warnings?”

Gina Clayton-Johnson, speaking Wednesday, says the community coalition wants to see California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta begins reviewing the fire response.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

At media events and memorials around the country marking the fire’s first anniversary, many survivors have appeared wearing red shirts with Bonta’s face and calling for him to “investigate the Eaton fire now!” Many residents held signs announcing the failure of the fire response: “The flames spread quickly. The warnings did not.” “The Fire Department failed Dena.” “East Altadena got warnings. West Altadena went silent.”

The Times reported last January that west of Altadena never received evacuation warnings, and evacuation orders arrived hours after flames and smoke threatened the community. All but one of the 19 people who died in the Eaton fire were found west of Altadena, including a 54-year-old woman whose family says she died because of delayed evacuation warnings.

Although reports indicated that the late exit warnings appeared to be the fault of officials at the LA County Fire Department, the agency still has not explained what went wrong. In November, the Fire Department said it would launch a new independent investigation into the delayed evacuation notices, but agency spokeswoman Heidi Oliva declined to provide further details about that investigation.

A candlelight vigil at Fair Oaks Burger honored the 19 victims of the Eaton fire.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

A spokesperson for Bonta declined to “confirm or deny any potential or ongoing investigations … to protect their integrity.” The statement, however, referred to the ongoing investigation of the fire response ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom completed the independent non-profit research organization Fire Safety Research Institute. Its analysis is not expected to be complete until the middle of the year.

Clayton-Johnson said the coalition – Altadena for Accountability, made up of Black community leaders, lawyers in west Altadena, local non-profit organizations and concerned citizens – is aware of the ongoing investigation and even a previous review but has not found it to be sufficient. Members of the group want to see Bonta’s office take ownership of the update, as happened in Hawaii after the Maui fire that destroyed Lahaina.

“We have a framework for times like this, and the person responsible for reaching the end is the failure of the districts, the failure of the officials, the violation of human rights,” said Clayton-Johnson, referring to Bonta. If he doesn’t hear us, then I think we can move him, both his head and his heart, to do the right thing.”

He said the neighborhood association has been “politely, quietly, cooperatively” reaching Bonta to meet with them for months but nothing. Now they are getting impatient.

“It’s not just about Altadena,” Clayton-Johnson said. “What we know is that there will be more climate refugees in this province, there will be many disasters … and we all deserve to be safe in our homes. This fire must be handled properly. [and] be investigated.”

The sentiment became popular among the western Altadenans.

“The Fire Department abandoned us,” said Miguel Vidal, who like many of the people at Fair Oaks Burger lost his home in the fire.

“We were our warning system,” said another person, shaking his head.

Marialyce Pedersen walked across the parking lot around a weather vane where she posed for LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, telling him to clear it. He said his company had “no idea” about the wind direction on the night of the fire.

Earlier in the night at a large anniversary event, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, acknowledged calls for accountability, telling a crowd of thousands that she supports transparency.

“He has a right to know what happened,” Barger said, though he didn’t provide a clear path to those answers.

Members of the Altadena Coalition for Accountability attended an event Wednesday at Fair Oaks Burger.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

County officials this week highlighted new processes and plans they say will improve the work of their Office of Emergency Management and Sheriff’s departments, including increased staffing and new technology.

But those changes fall short because they don’t address the specific problems west of Altadena has experienced, said Sylvie Andrews, a member of the Altadena for Accountability group. She said the pain continued to motivate her, recounting how a loved one narrowly escaped a fire because they never received an evacuation notice, and how she watched her beloved home burn — after surviving the first night of the fire — without available water or first responders to fight it.

“Why is the response not equal in the east and west of the Lake [Avenue]?” Andrews asked. “Why does this area that had no resources in the west of the Lake continue to lack resources during an event like this?”

Most importantly, he doesn’t want any other neighbor or family to hear what his community has been through.

“We’ve been fighting for a year,” said Andrews. “If we can’t get clear answers about why we were left the way we were in the western part of Altadena … I don’t think we’ll ever fully heal.

“If someone made bad decisions that night, if more than one team made bad decisions that night, we need to know about it,” he said. “That’s one way we’ll know it won’t happen again.”

Attendees at a memorial for the Eaton fire held Wednesday in the parking lot of the Grocery Outlet in Altadena sang “Lean on Me.”

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

Many survivors of the fire have expressed similar concerns but say it is difficult to enter the fight as there are so many insurance, legal, housing and rebuilding issues that are stubborn, draining them.

Araceli Cabrera said she still thinks that she and her fiance barely survived because they were waiting for the extradition letter. But joining meetings or talking to government officials about it makes him more stressed, he said.

“They are trying to show that they care about us but they are not really taking steps to help us,” said Cabrera. “There is no accountability.”

Anthony Mitchell Jr., whose father and disabled brother died in the fire while waiting for first responders to help them out, said their family is still struggling with the loss — and the failure that led to their deaths.

“We deserve to have emergency departments that work,” said Mitchell, who lives in Bakersfield and is concerned that this is not an Altadena-specific problem. “I don’t think most of California has learned.”