Exclusive: Eaton fire ravages small town north of Pasadena as firefighters save what they can

ALTADENA, Calif. — Firefighters, stretched thin, are going from fire to fire as more blazes are still popping up in devastated areas in Altadena, a town north of Pasadena. Though the hurricane-force winds are finally gone, the flames still have a wide reach in Los Angeles County.

Authorities say there have been at least five deaths in Altadena as the wildfire raced through the northern part of town early Wednesday morning. Power lines and heavy tree branches litter Altadena, including in areas that were not burned out. Some utility poles are cracked in half.

Cars that were left behind in driveways are now burned-out wrecks. Some Christmas decorations, such as wreaths hanging on gates or fences, are all that is left of some homes.

As in other places in Los Angeles County that are dealing with the wildfires, being able to get water to the affected areas has been a major issue for firefighters and residents. A bigger danger than still-smoldering buildings is the gas lines that are still active in damaged buildings, providing open flames that can be whipped up by the wind.

In the non-burned parts of Altadena, some residents still remain at home, either to keep an eye on their property or to finish the process of evacuating.

The Eaton fire has burned over 10,000 acres, while the nearby Palisades fire has burned over 17,000 acres.

With the city and county of Los Angeles caught flat-footed for the scope of the disaster, many are pointing to how Democratic officials have botched preparations at nearly every step: the Los Angeles fire budget being cut by millions of dollars; not implementing proper forest management; not building more water reservoirs to have extra water on hand for such an emergency.

Perhaps the person locals are most mad at in Los Angeles is Mayor Karen Bass (D), who decided to attend the inauguration of Ghana’s new president despite having warnings of massive wildfires a few days earlier.

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