More than a year after the deadly fires in Los Angeles, California has opened an investigation to shed light on the lack of warning and the delays in relief in the African-American neighborhoods ravaged by the flames, announced Thursday, February 12, the attorney general of the state, Rob Bonta.
This investigation concerns the city of Altadena, a mixed-race suburb where the Eaton Fire killed 19 people in January 2025. Anger remains high in the western part of the city, historically inhabited by a majority of African-Americans, because evacuation orders were issued there several hours late compared to the eastern part, which has a white majority.
“My office will investigate whether there was discrimination based on race, age or disability in the emergency response in western Altadena, where at least 19 people lost their lives”declared the prosecutor, in a press release. “Specifically, we will examine whether the systems and structures in place contributed to the delay in the county’s evacuation notice and possible disparities in emergency response in western Altadena.”added the Democratic magistrate.
“We know that the evacuation warnings for the historically black neighborhood in west Altadena came several hours after the same warnings were sent to the rest of Altadena”he underlined, estimating that the inhabitants of the area “deserve answers to their questions”.
Powerful resentment
The Los Angeles fires have killed 31 people in total and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. In addition to the city of Altadena, they also ravaged the upscale neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, where many celebrities reside, and part of the city of Malibu.
More than a year after this disaster, resentment towards the authorities remains strong there, because relief efforts have been handicapped by multiple malfunctions. Almost everywhere, some residents complained of delays in emergency response. In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, many fire hydrants were quickly dried up because the reservoir that supplied them was empty due to construction.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was also heavily criticized for approving cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget months before these fires.
date: 2026-02-13 04:06:00