Crews have now been working nonstop for nearly a week fighting the deadly Eaton Fire, and as of Monday night, the 14,117-acre blaze was 33% contained.
When the fire first broke out on the night of January 7, flames up to 100 feet high swept through the Altadena area, forcing thousands of people to evacuate quickly. Firefighters worked quickly and heroically to save as many lives, homes and land as possible.
Since then, thousands of homes have been lost, but one area is largely intact thanks to the efforts of a group of U.S. Forest Service firefighters based in the Angeles National Forest.
That same U.S. Forest Service team on Monday gave an inside look at how they saved the homes they were guarding that first night near Kinclair Drive in Pasadena.
In footage provided by crews, an intimidating fire could be seen and heard, but it did not appear to be slowing down as brave firefighters determinedly organized the attack.
“Jonathan, be careful, we’re not going to run out of water,” a firefighter yelled, directing his crew as massive flames raged just a few feet away.
“When we first arrived on scene, we were faced with a wall of flames 50 to 100 feet high and wind gusts in excess of 80 miles per hour,” said U.S. Forest Service Captain Robert Robredo. “I’ve been fighting fires for 21 years, and the wind gusts, the embers and the flames hitting the building is probably the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Members of this U.S. Forest Service wildfire unit were first on the scene and then worked tirelessly for 36 hours before taking a short break to attack fires on another front on Mount Wilson.
“We’re here in a chaotic scene and we’re trying to bring calm to everything,” team member Eduardo Cerna told KTLA’s Chris Wolf. “When we arrived, we noticed a lot of people rushing out.”
Amid fears of rebuilding due to strong winds and gunfire continuing, the members remain determined to keep moving forward.
“Our main goal is to make sure that public safety, human life and property are in good hands, so that we can work safely without worrying about human life and that we can protect as many homes as possible.” can be saved,” Serna said. .
An Eaton Canyon power tower is under investigation as the cause of the deadly fire that bears its name.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced the repopulation of residents affected by the Eaton Fire as of 3 p.m. Monday.
The following areas are still under evacuation advisories:
In the unincorporated Los Angeles County area of the Kinneloa Mesa community South of Heights Road to New York Drive and east of Outpost Lane to Sierra Madre Villa Avenue
Areas still closed to residents include the remaining areas of the unincorporated community of Altadena.
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