{"id":1963,"date":"2026-05-19T23:40:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/firm-finds-la-county-officials-did-not-discriminate-in-response-to-eaton-fire\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T23:40:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:40:28","slug":"firm-finds-la-county-officials-did-not-discriminate-in-response-to-eaton-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1963","title":{"rendered":"Firm finds LA county officials did not discriminate in response to Eaton fire"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"d2e9a683-2f41-4f92-8471-7a60bb7ca009\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Aerial view of Altadena with scattered houses among many cleared vacant lots, backed by mountains\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/eac6fa388829e9ad930ee2479eb5d9ce4aa813d6\/0_0_8671_5766\/master\/8671.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.2134701879829\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Homes being rebuilt amid cleared lots where homes were destroyed by the Eaton fire, on 4 May in Altadena, California. <\/span> Photograph: Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"d2e9a683-2f41-4f92-8471-7a60bb7ca009\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Homes being rebuilt amid cleared lots where homes were destroyed by the Eaton fire, on 4 May in Altadena, California. <\/span> Photograph: Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Firm finds LA county officials did not discriminate in response to Eaton fire<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Altadena group pans report as \u2018pages of deflection\u2019 and cites reliance on \u2018department insiders\u2019 rather than residents<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Los Angeles county fire officials did not discriminate on the basis of race or socioeconomic status and did not delay in their evacuation orders during last year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/10\/la-zombie-fire-jonathan-rinderknecht\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">deadly Eaton fire in Altadena<\/a>, a consulting firm found on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At the behest of the county and its fire department, the California-based firm Citygate Associates conducted an investigation into how evacuation alerts were deployed last January, after emergency response officials came under fierce scrutiny for reported delays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On the evening of 7 January 2025, the Eaton blaze began, ultimately ravaging more than 9,000 buildings and killing 19 people in the San Gabriel Mountains\u2019 foothill communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Citygate wrote in its report that fire officials had been blind, at many times, to the \u201catypical\u201d blaze\u2019s progression. The firm interviewed fire and sheriff\u2019s department officials and reviewed dispatch logs, weather data and alert records.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"7301597a-f00f-4342-8d6b-2a6b381a004c\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/01\/la-homes-burned-wildfires-families-cannot-return\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Their homes burned in the LA wildfires. A year later, thousands still can\u2019t return<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Aircraft operations were grounded due to high winds, according to the firm. Warnings and orders were issued as officials became aware of the fire\u2019s spread into north-western Altadena.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The individuals who perished mostly lived west of Lake Avenue, a major thoroughfare that stretches north-south. In that western corridor lay a historic African American, middle-class enclave.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">According to some media reports, residents in west Altadena received orders to evacuate nearly 10 hours later than their counterparts to the east. Outcry erupted from the fire\u2019s survivors. In February, California attorney general Rob Bonta launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/12\/california-investigation-wildfire-response-altadena\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">civil rights investigation<\/a> concerning the emergency response.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe Altadena community deserves transparency, which is why I initiated this independent investigation,\u201d said fire chief Anthony Marrone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWhile the report provides an honest account of our operations, we recognize that no investigation can truly capture the horror and tragedy residents endured. My focus is to ensure that the lessons learned from the Eaton and Palisades fires are turned into lasting changes that will better protect our residents and neighborhoods into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Alluding to the debate about how race and class may have factored into the emergency response, Citygate said that evacuation planners had relied on major north-south and east-west streets such as Lake avenue as anchors for evacuation zones.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"59a23501-48b5-433f-b38a-9552dde32796\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-11 | 11\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/05\/trial-suspect-palisades-fire-los-angeles\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Man accused of starting Palisades fire was \u2018angry, intense, driving erratically\u2019, lawyers say<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Citygate also said the fire department\u2019s resources were stretched thin due to a rapidly expanding fire that same day in Pacific Palisades, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/los-angeles\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Los Angeles<\/a> neighborhood about 34 miles (55km) to the west.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Altadena for Accountability, a group that has backed Bonta\u2019s investigation, panned the report as \u201cpages of deflection\u201d in a Tuesday statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cFires and emergencies rarely come without chaos. First responders and tax funded agencies have a duty to treat communities equitably and to prevent harm that is preventable,\u201d the group said. \u201cThe complexity of the fire is not an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The advocacy group took fault with the firm\u2019s methodology, saying the emphasis on the accounts of \u201cdepartment insiders\u201d minimized the experiences of residents who were on the scene.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/los-angeles\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Los Angeles<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/california-wildfires\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">California wildfires<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/race\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Race<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/california\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">West Coast<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/wildfires\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Wildfires<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Firm%20finds%20LA%20county%20officials%20did%20not%20discriminate%20in%20response%20to%20Eaton%20fire&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/los-angeles-altadena-fire-discrimination?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Flos-angeles-altadena-fire-discrimination&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/los-angeles-altadena-fire-discrimination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Homes being rebuilt amid cleared lots where homes were destroyed by the Eaton fire, on 4 May in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}