California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that “compelling evidence” has triggered an investigation into whether racism influenced the response to the Altadena fire, which resulted in the deaths of 19 people last year.
Though Bonta’s office shared this information, they did not elaborate further.
The investigation will look into whether race, age, or disability bias contributed to delays in emergency preparedness and responses in West Altadena, a community with a significant Black population.
“Today, the California Department of Justice is formally launching an inquiry into the response to the 2025 Eaton Fire,” Bonta stated on Thursday.
“In particular, we will assess whether the systems in place led to delays in evacuation notifications and possible disparities in emergency responses in West Altadena.”
Bonta noted, “The West Altadena community has raised serious concerns and provided substantial evidence to my office.”
He mentioned that evacuation warnings for predominantly Black neighborhoods in West Altadena were issued hours after those sent to other areas.
According to the Los Angeles Times, West Altadena residents reported receiving delayed evacuation alerts several hours after the fire began.
Bonta expressed that the West Altadena community deserves clarity and a dependable institution to rely on.
“We must find out what went wrong based on the facts unveiled in this investigation,” he continued. “As the People’s Attorney, I, along with the California Department of Justice, serve the people. We appreciate our communities for coming forward, voicing their concerns, and organizing during such a tragic time of loss and recovery.”
The Eaton Fire ravaged 14,021 acres and destroyed over 9,000 structures, marking it as one of the deadliest fires in California’s history.
Bonta indicated that the investigation will specifically target potential civil rights violations and other legal matters within the department’s authority.
A recent UCLA study revealed that 61% of Black households in Altadena were situated within the fire’s perimeter, in contrast to 50% of non-Black households.
This study also highlighted that nearly half of Black households (48%) suffered serious damage or destruction compared to 37% of non-Black households.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has faced criticism regarding her response to the fire, particularly for being out of the country just days before it struck Southern California, which some feel left the city unprepared.
This week, the California Post obtained a draft of the Palisades post-fire report, which was later altered before being released to the public.
One significant revision involved language that acknowledged inadequate resources for managing wind-driven vegetation fires and called for the department to “assume fiscal responsibility for not augmenting and pre-positioning all available resources for rare wind events.”
Bonta’s office did not clarify what they considered “compelling evidence.” A spokesperson stated, “The Department of Justice is committed to transparency, but to safeguard the integrity of this investigation, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”
