Eighteen of the 19 people killed in the Eaton Fire lived west of Lake Avenue. They waited roughly eight to nine hours longer for an official evacuation alert than their neighbors to the east.

That disparity is now the subject of California's first civil rights investigation into a wildfire. On Wednesday, July 29, dozens of survivors gathered in Altadena to help shape the official record.

Altadena for Accountability, a Black-led coalition of fire survivors and organizers formed in 2025, hosted "Shaping Accountability: A Community Engagement Session" from 5 to 9 p.m., according to PasadenaNow. The dinner-and-discussion event, held at an undisclosed location shared only with those who RSVP'd, was built around four questions: what the attorney general's investigation means, how community testimony can influence its findings, which harms remain unaddressed, and what remedies could look like for Altadena. The Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures across Altadena and parts of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and L.A. County government oversees Altadena's emergency services.

The investigation

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the probe Feb. 12, calling it unprecedented. His office is examining whether race, age, or disability discrimination shaped the L.A. County Fire Department's emergency preparation and response in historically Black west Altadena during the January 2025 fire.

"There was, indisputably, a delayed emergency notification and evacuation of West Altadena," Bonta said at the February announcement, according to USA Today.

The fire burned more than 14,000 acres and killed 19 people. The California Department of Justice says the average age of those who died was 77.

The timeline at the center of the case: neighborhoods east of Lake Avenue received evacuation orders within about an hour of the fire's ignition on the evening of Jan. 7, 2025. West-of-Lake residents did not receive an official evacuation order until 3:25 a.m. on Jan. 8. Some areas, including the Calaveras zones, were not ordered to evacuate until 5:43 a.m., according to the L.A. Times. Evacuation warnings were never issued for west Altadena at all.

The county's response

L.A. County disputes that the alerts were improperly delayed. A 51-page independent review the county's fire department commissioned from Citygate Associates, released May 18, concluded "there was no failure" by fire officials. The report found that incident commanders were not aware the fire was moving westward until just after 2 a.m. and could not have "reasonably" requested earlier evacuations.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said when the report was released that "Unified Command did not engage in misconduct or intentionally delay evacuation decisions," but added that "public trust requires both accountability and a willingness to learn from every aspect of a disaster response."

Altadena for Accountability called the Citygate report "deflection without accountability."

The coalition's path

The group organized alongside the California Black Power Network and Altadena Rising, building a leadership team of 18 fire survivors and community leaders. When repeated requests to meet with Bonta's office went unanswered, the coalition escalated. On Jan. 1, 2026, members unfurled a banner reading "AG Bonta Altadena demands an investigation" on a float at the Pasadena Rose Parade, according to SFGate. Bonta announced the investigation six weeks later.

Shimica Gaskins, an Eaton Fire survivor and coalition member, said May 19 after the Citygate report's release that she needs honesty before trust: "I want to know, first, that you can be honest about what happened on Jan. 7 and the following days, so we know you're actually making the changes needed. Without that first step, there's no trust."

What's next

The AG's investigation is ongoing. Bonta said in February he was unsure how long it would take, and no timeline or next public milestone has been announced. The probe initially focuses on the L.A. County Fire Department but could expand in scope.

Residents who want to get involved with Altadena for Accountability can RSVP for future events at altadenaforaccountability.org/get-involved or email [email protected].