We’re still piecing together what went wrong in the L.A. fir…

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The delay in evacuating western Altadena

It’s been nearly two months since the L.A. firestorms ignited, and there are still so many unanswered questions about what went wrong.

• Could a more robust deployment by the Los Angeles Fire Department have helped to slow the flames and save homes in Pacific Palisades?
• Would fewer fire hydrants in the Palisades have run dry if there had been better maintenance, including having a key reservoir operating instead of closed for repairs?
• Did Edison power lines spark the Eaton fire?

But perhaps the biggest question is why it took officials nearly eight hours from the beginning of the Eaton fire to send evacuation orders to western Altadena. By the time the order was sent out, parts of the area were already on fire. Of the 17 deaths from the Eaton fire, all were in areas west of Lake Avenue.

A business and a car along Lake Avenue in Altadena are consumed by flames from the wind-driven Eaton fire.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

A Times investigation revealing the late order sparked an independent investigation by L.A. County as well as a congressional probe.

I’m Times staff writer Terry Castleman, and I have been digging into the stories behind the Eaton fire for weeks now.

How did The Times figure out that evacuations came so late?

A few days into the firestorm, I decided to build a timeline of the Eaton fire based on hundreds of radio transmissions from the first 12 hours of the unfolding disaster.

I was struck by how little we knew about the sequence of events that led to the destruction in Altadena. When that timeline was complete, it showed that the Eaton fire did not encroach upon the most devastated areas — on the west side of Altadena — for at least five hours after it began. Editors encouraged me to add evacuation notices to our timeline. As I did so, I noticed that fire calls were coming into areas west of North Lake Avenue, but no evacuation alerts had been issued. I thought I had made a mistake.

Around the same time, I happened to map the 17 deaths from the Eaton fire as a visual aid for our timeline. When I saw that map, the story clicked into place: All 17 deaths occurred west of North Lake Avenue, in evacuation zones that were notified at least eight hours after their neighbors east of that boundary.

Officials wouldn’t confirm the findings — they still haven’t. But we interviewed some residents who said they had not received alerts until after the flames arrived. We felt our data were solid, so we published.

After the story went live, we heard from many more western Altadena residents who had not received an evacuation order on their phones until the fire was all around them. Some families of victims questioned whether earlier orders would have saved lives.

How did officials react?

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called for an independent investigation of the late alerts. There is also a congressional investigation into the larger issue of emergency alerts during the firestorms.

The Times interviewed first responders who were at the command center for the Eaton fire. They described a highly chaotic scene in which the fire moved incredibly fast and officials struggled to keep up.

It remains unclear exactly why the alert went out so late, and whether it was due to human error or some sort of technical problem.

Today’s top stories

A giant sea bass swims amid kelp at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

‘Like someone put a blanket over the ocean’: Kelp could be among fires’ casualties

• Kelp may be one of the first species to show how coastal ecosystems will respond to the L.A. fires.
• These forests of fast-growing brown algae provide food and habitat for hundreds of marine species and absorb greenhouse gases but are also highly sensitive to changes in their environment.
• Research has found that the median recovery rate of kelp beds near Malibu was a mere 7% in the two years after the 2018 Woolsey fire.

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This morning’s must-reads

Gene Hackman strikes a pose in 2001 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire for The Times.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

My golden memory of photographing Gene Hackman in 2001, and the memento he left behind. Times photographer Genaro Molina writes about an experience he had with actor Gene Hackman, who was game for a little fun during an L.A. Times photo shoot the year “The Royal Tenenbaums” came out. But the real surprise came when the actor provided the shoot with its crowning touch.

Other must-reads

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For your downtime

(Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Staying in

And finally … the photo of the day

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Allen J. Schaben, who snapped Cynthia Erivo, star of “Wicked,” on the red carpet at the 97th Academy Awards. Erivo went on to perform songs from that movie musical as well as from “The Wizard of Oz” with her “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande at the Oscars.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break

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