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Friday

28-02-2025 Vol 19

At least 5 dead, over 100,000 forced to flee

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo told reporters this afternoon, discussing the Eaton fire at a news conference, and 100,000 have been told they may have to evacuate because they live in a danger zone .

Five people have died and hundreds of homes have been lost, Gordo said.

The Eaton fire is more than 10,600 acres in size and is 0% contained, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustine said. He said 200 to 500 structures have been damaged or lost.

Sixty strike teams have been requested — about 15 have arrived, and Augustine expects that to grow to 50 within 24 hours. There are 750 firefighters fighting the fire.

Augustine said gusts of more than 70 mph have fueled the fire, and embers have been seen 2 to 3 miles ahead of it, sparking their own fires.

The area remains under a red flag and Augustine expects it to remain that way until tomorrow.

But, he said, thanks to the current forecast, planes are now able to come in to fight the fire. Aircraft have been losing water since around 10 PT in an attempt to limit the spread.

“We expect, with favorable conditions over the next few days, to start making good progress on this fire,” Augustine said. Tonight’s wind conditions will be “very mild,” he said, giving him “confidence that we will get this fire under control.

He later added: “Do I expect a risk of fire spread tomorrow? Yes. Do I expect erratic fire weather like we saw last night? No.”

Augustine also noted the “rarity” of having two major brush fires in LA County in one day.

Littum