Rep. Chu Demands Independent Investigation into Deadly Evacuation Order Delays during Start of Eaton Fire

PASADENA, CA — Today, reporting from the Los Angeles Times detailed how Western Altadena – where all 17 deaths identified so far from the Eaton Fire come from – received an evacuation order many hours after the wildfire initially started. In response, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) released the following statement: 

“I’m dismayed and deeply concerned that evacuation warnings and orders were significantly delayed for residents in western Altadena, west of Lake Avenue, at the start of the Eaton Fire. The Los Angeles wildfires this month are on track to become one of the most costly and devastating natural disasters in our country’s history, and the Eaton Fire alone has destroyed over 7,000 structures, left 20,000 people homeless, and has taken at least 17 lives. Tragically, all of these deaths occurred in the area west of Lake Avenue. We owe it to the victims, survivors, and their families to ensure that these evacuation notification delays and failures are not repeated. I urge Los Angeles County emergency officials to conduct an immediate, independent investigation into the handling of these emergency notifications to examine the timeline of alerts, the coordination between agencies, and changes needed to be made to strengthen our systems to save lives. Transparency and accountability are critical so that every community is treated equitably in future emergencies.”