Overview
- Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the probe on Feb. 12, tasking the DOJ’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section to examine potential race-, age-, or disability-based discrimination in the fire response.
- Investigators will scrutinize Los Angeles County systems, with significant attention on the Fire Department’s alerting and evacuation protocols, and the DOJ signaled limited public updates to preserve the inquiry.
- Officials cited undisputed delays in notifying West Altadena, where evacuation alerts arrived many hours after those sent to other parts of Altadena, with multiple reports describing waits approaching nine hours.
- The Eaton Fire burned roughly 14,000 acres, destroyed more than 9,000 structures, and killed 19 people, 18 of them from West Altadena, with an average victim age of 77.
- Community advocates, including Altadena for Accountability, and local officials welcomed the investigation, which proceeds alongside ongoing county, independent research, and state auditor reviews.