Eaton Fire Scorches the Caltech and Pasadena Community
Photo cred: Zion Irving-Singh
It is now Monday January 13th 2025 and the Eaton Fire is 14,117 acres and 27% contained. 3,155 firefighting personnel are assigned to this fire. The Eaton Fire is one of the worst natural disasters in United States history, and Southern California’s deadliest wildfire disaster. Ten miles of foothills from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Santa Anita Avenue is just destruction. Caltech students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community have been impacted by this traumatic and devastating fire. At least 200 Caltech community members have lost their homes to the fires. Thousands have been displaced. Ash contamination, poor air quality, and loss of power and water utilities remain to be additional issues we face.
A Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief fund (https://giving.caltech.edu/areas-to-support/relief) is available to assist Caltech and JPL community members impacted by the fires. Resources are available at www.Caltech.edu/fire for safety and health, especially how to monitor air and water quality in your area, how to handle and clean up toxic ash from wildfires that have burned structures; mental health resources; emergency and recovery resources, like FEMA, 211 LA, animal shelters, temporary housing options, furnished rentals, help with insurance; returning home after wildfire checklists and fact sheets; volunteer resources; and emergency preparedness for future emergency situations.
I remember scrolling on my Instagram in the evening after work, and I saw a post from CityofPasadena warning about a significant windstorm canceling all events and activities for the Pasadena area on Tuesday January 7. I then opened my Weather app and looked at the hour by hour forecast for the next 24 hours and saw the wind icon at each hour predicted for Pasadena. I flipped to Santa Clarita, my hometown, and saw the hour by hour prediction: wind, wind, wind. I flipped to Los Angeles: wind, wind, wind. La Cañada Flintridge: wind, wind, wind. I was shocked. How are there Santa Ana winds for all of LA County in one day at the same time? I’ve lived in LA for 32 years, and have never seen that. I messaged my mom in Santa Clarita about the wild forecast predicted for all of LA County. I messaged my lab mate who was commuting between Orange County and Pasadena lately. He too had forecasts of wind, wind, wind for OC. Then, Caltech emailed us at 9:39 PM. Subject line: Caltech Weather Advisory: Significant Winds and Elevated Fire Conditions Expected in Los Angeles County. Email body: “Strong winds, ranging from 30 to 50 mph with widespread gusts between 60 to 80 mph; isolated gusts between 80 to 100 mph are possible.” 80 to 100 mph wind gusts… I remember winds like that from my time living in North Carolina during grad school when we would have tornadoes or hurricanes. I was shocked that we were going to have Santa Ana winds of that magnitude. Those winds rip trees and powerlines out of the ground. Those winds carry umbrellas and other loose debris across town. I looked again at Santa Clarita’s forecast. Winds were anticipated to begin at 8AM on Tuesday in SC. I looked at Pasadena’s forecast. Winds were anticipated to begin at 11AM. Good, I thought. *That gives me time to walk Tyson (my dog) and walk to campus for subgroup meeting before winds really pick up. *I went to bed thinking I would make sure I bring my portable phone charger to work and put new batteries in my emergency lanterns in the morning.
Tuesday January 7th 2025
I woke up to the startling howl of wind. Surely that wasn’t true. Winds weren’t supposed to start until 11AM here… I sprung out of bed before my 6:30AM alarm, and decided it was time to get ready for the day. Poor Tyson, I thought. He’s going to be so afraid of the wind when I take him outside this morning. I hoped it would only be this evening that would be scary for him. I hooked Tyson into his harness and clipped on his leash. We opened the door and tree leaves were down and shoved into the corner of our hallway. Wind woosh-ed past us as I closed the door behind us. It was already so windy. We walked downstairs and into the courtyard of my apartment building and we stepped over tree branches as we made our way to the front gate. Outside on Wilson, just north of Caltech, Christmas trees that were placed on the sidewalks for trash pickup were scattered about the roads. The wind gusts came in spurts and Tyson’s ears flew back and down, his tail between his legs, shaking. We didn’t go for our usual walk around the block and went back inside where it was calm after he peed and pooped. As I ate breakfast, I watched the balconies of my neighbors from my window. The neighbor below me had a triangle sunshade bolted to the bottom of my apartment’s balcony that flapped up and down in the wind. The next neighbor over had a patio umbrella still fully open. I watched it wiggle in the wind, and then with one big gust, it was picked up off the ground, flipped upside down, and flung to the other side of her patio. I decided to back away from the window and finish getting ready for the day. I put new batteries in my lantern, cleared my Christmas wreaths and Tyson’s outdoor dog bed off the balcony, and brought them inside.
As I walked on Wilson and crossed E Del Mar St., I noticed a bunch of palm tree branches were in the road, obstructing traffic in the right lane. Cars made loud crunching noises when driving over the branches. As soon as I got to my office, I plugged in my portable power bank to charge. My labmates commented that I was prepared, and I laughed saying that my mom lived through the 1994 Northridge earthquake, so I was raised to be prepared for anything.
After subgroup, the winds continued to strengthen. My labmates and I watched as a tree outside the third floor of Noyes swayed back and forth, away from the building and then smacked into the window. It was a loud smacking, but the glass held. We decided it was best to keep our distance from the window. Palm trees bended and swayed along Wilson.
All day, the winds seemed strong. Typical Santa Ana winds, though, it seemed. Small debris, like seeds, sand, tiny leaves, would fly about and get in your eyes, so you have to squint when you walk. Nothing I haven’t seen before. I met with undergrads at Red Door for a lunch meeting about our upcoming issue for the Tech. I went back to Noyes to make electrodes. My mom texted me around 2PM to tell me about a horrible fire that had started in Pacific Palisades and that UCLA doctors she worked with were being evacuated. I met with a grad student in Schlinger Courtyard about a Caltech Wildlife column I hope to write and that she was taking photos for. I went to Gates Annex to hear Ryan Hadt’s tenure talk—which was fascinating and great by the way! Then returned to Noyes again. I quenched a solid-state reaction from 500 °C to room temperature at 5:31 PM. I cleaned up, prepped my supplies for tomorrow—thinking there would be a tomorrow—and then packed up.
By 5:50PM, I was heading north on Wilson and the winds were getting uncomfortably strong. I kept glancing, hoping no tree branches would fall. I crossed Del Mar and made it to my apartment. There was another opened umbrella in the courtyard of the complex and the wind was dragging the umbrella and metal patio table across the courtyard with a loud screech. I darted upstairs and went into my apartment. My roommate was home, sitting on the couch. She looked at me and commented on how loud the winds were getting. I agreed, and quickly grabbed Tyson. Hopefully I can get him to pee and poop in this weather quickly and then we can stay in the rest of the night, I thought. Tyson was terrified with the loud winds whipping around us. I coaxed him down the stairs and through the gate, to his peeing tree. I looked down the street (north of Wilson towards the mountains). Gusts of wind were now rapidly punching and barreling down Wilson towards Caltech. Punch, punch, punch. I tried to bend down to Tyson and keep him on the sidewalk, and protect him from any debris that might hit him. Punch, punch, punch. The wind punched from north to south as if being sent like a torpedo from the mountains and down to the end of Wilson. The trees above me shook and jolted with each gust. Tyson kept pulling away from the sidewalk to run up the steps and back to the apartment building’s front gate. I tried to keep him focused on going to the bathroom, but at this point, even I was getting nervous about the strength of the winds. I darted up the steps with Tyson, and we huddled in the alcove of the building, shielding ourselves from the wind gusts. Whenever there would be a break in the gusts, I would pull Tyson back to the sidewalk and onto the dirt patch to try to get him to poop. He always needs to poop at this time, and I was determined to get him to go now, so we could take shelter for the rest of the night. We must have darted back and forth between the sidewalk and the alcove of my apartment building 15 times. I imagined anyone watching me must have thought I was insane, but the gusts were so intense I didn’t care. One extraordinarily powerful gust of wind, burst down Wilson in an instant. I saw the wind pick up dirt, dust, and debris all in one giant cloud and watched it hurdle down the street. It was a moment of winds like I had seen in North Carolina during a tornado warning. Winds like that moved debris across a road, in the air as if someone had pressed a button and forced gravity to be perpendicular to the ground. All of a sudden the street lights went out, and Tyson and I were in darkness. I looked around, and the power to the apartment complexes around us were still on. Oddly, it was just a few street lights along Wilson that went out. It wasn’t even all the street lights. The winds calmed for a moment, and I took the opportunity to walk Tyson a little further down the street to a patch of grass. He finally pooped, and we ran back inside to the apartment.
I started to make dinner and noticed my mom had been texting me. She asked if the winds were getting worse in Pasadena like they were for her in Santa Clarita. By 6:22PM, Tyson and I were back in the apartment, and I messaged her back that the winds reminded me of tornado weather in NC. She told me the Palisades fire was now massive: 30,000 people evacuated and the images on the news were apocalyptic. At 6:54PM, as I was prepping my lunch for tomorrow and making dinner, I smelled smoke. Not from cooking. It wasn’t coming from the kitchen. I could smell it seeping in from the patio door. Wildfire smoke. Two minutes later, my mom called me asking where we put the photo albums. She asked me if I was distracted, and I assumed the smoke smell must be nothing—I didn’t see any buildings around me on fire, or see any plumes of smoke. She was getting worried about the winds and she was packing in the event that she needed to evacuate. I was just trying to finish making some food, so I could think about what I was doing and what I should be doing.
I got off the phone with her at 6:59PM and checked the Watch Duty app, and it showed that there was a 10 acre fire that had just started in Eaton Canyon. I quickly texted my mom that I thought I smelled smoke, and sent her a screenshot of the map on Watch Duty. The group chat with my labmates started blowing up. One labmate asked if our advisor lived near Eaton Canyon. Yes. One labmate drove home from lab and had a tree fall in front of him. Another labmate posted on Slack that she smelled smoke in the lab, but it was coming from outside. Another labmate texted that they smelled smoke. Another labmate texted that they drove home with a tree branch stuck in their car bumper. Another labmate texted that the tree in their apartment complex was falling down and they smelled smoke. I finished making dinner and sat down on the couch. The winds were stronger and stronger and stronger, making me uncomfortable to be by the patio sliding doors. By 7:26PM, my roommate came out of her room and said that her mom was driving down from Altadena with her two cats. She asked if it was okay, and I said of course. I quickly grabbed my dinner and Tyson, and went into my room, so he would be separated from the cats. I told my labmates and other Caltech friends to download Watch Duty. We tried to figure out what the dark red zones and yellow zones meant on the map. We figured it out: red (evacuate, GO now), yellow (get ready, be SET to leave). The rest of us realized, we should get READY.
7:27PM, we watched the evacuation zones expand. One labmate texted that smoke was flooding through his apartment. I wrote “Pack stuff guys.” As I scrambled to take bites of my dinner and throw important things in a suitcase: change of clothes, birth certificate, first aid supplies. I couldn’t think straight. Labmates were debating that we didn’t have to pack because we were much farther south than the fire. I reminded that if this becomes like the Palisades fire, we want to be prepared.
At 7:29PM, evacuation zones expanded again. The fire was now 200 acres. One labmate was now listed in a yellow zone. He was asking where he should go if he has to leave. I texted my mom asking what the news was saying about Pasadena. She said they’re not saying anything about an evacuation center for Pasadena. I could hear my roommate’s mom had arrived to our apartment with the cats. Smoke was filling the apartment.
At 7:40PM, I texted a Caltech friend who doesn’t have a car that I would come get her if we need to evacuate. She was stuck in Resnick, waiting for a campus security officer to escort her safely to her apartment. She was afraid it wouldn’t be safe to travel into the windstorm on her own. At 7:54PM, Caltech sent out an emergency alert. I reassured labmates that Caltech will probably keep us posted about evacuation centers. I realized if we evacuate we might be there for days. We need toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, change of clothing, animal food, medications, important documents. I started throwing these things in a bag, and texting a list to labmates. How easy it is to forget that one needs soap.
At 8:51PM, a labmate posted in Slack that a giant tree had fallen on Wilson near Caltech’s north parking garage.
Photo cred: Zion Irving-Singh
At 8:57PM, my friend trapped in Resnick had gotten a ride from the building manager and was now safely home. My roommates mom, dad, and two cats were with us in our two bedroom apartment. We all exchanged numbers, and I had them download the Watch Duty app. Her dad had a Windy app that let him monitor the projections for the wind gusts. The worst of it was supposed to be now, and soon it would calm down. I pulled out my air mattress and set it up for her parents. We agreed we should try to get some rest, but leave our phones on in case we need to evacuate.
9:13PM a labmate texted that the Bert fire had started in between San Pasqual and San Marino. One labmate was nearby and the power went out at his house. Labmates flooded to respond that they would take him in if he needed to evacuate. We still didn’t know where the shelters were. Caltech notified us that if we are not in an evacuation zone, we should shelter in place. Caltech notified again that there would be no school tomorrow, Wednesday January 8th.
At 9:30PM, I reached out to another labmate who didn’t have a car. I offered to come get her and her cat if she needed to evacuate. I told her I would have my phone on and be checking it all night if she needed anything.
10:08PM, a shelter was finally announced for Pasadena at the Pasadena Convention Center. I slept in my clothes that night, with a blanket over my head to protect me from the smell of the smoke, and turned my air purifier on High. I woke up with every notification that came across my phone, checked it, then went back to sleep when the map continued to show no change. The fire spread across to the east, but wasn’t making its way more south. As I laid in bed, the winds punched against the front door of the apartment so much I was worried the door would fling open. I could hear the wind pound the door and the hinges squeaked with every burst of the wind. The deadbolt kept the door in place.
By 12AM, the winds had calmed and one labmate couldn’t sleep. He decided to go to Caltech campus to assess the damage. I saw that our advisor had messaged in Slack that she and her family had evacuated and they were safe with a friend.
All photo cred: Zion Irving-Singh
Wednesday January 8th 2025
In the morning, the sky was filled with smoke. You couldn’t see the sun. Other dog owners were on Wilson like me. With masks on. It was eerie and quiet. No cars were on the road. I could see the tree that had fallen on Caltech campus. It was already sectioned off with caution tape. We learned later that day that our advisor’s whole neighborhood was gone. A labmate’s parents had evacuated from La Cañada and were staying with her in the Catalina apartments. We all spent the day sheltering in place, waiting for the winds to stop so that aircraft could fly and drop water on the fire. Until the winds stopped, all we could do was wait. We watched TV and waited for updates, waited for change, waited for news. One labmate spent the day in Altadena, handing out water, masks, and trying to help wherever he could. By Wednesday evening, we received a notification that the water in Pasadena was no longer safe to drink and we should only drink bottled water.
All photo cred: Zion Irving-Singh
Thursday January 9th 2025
By morning, all the bottled water in Pasadena had been purchased and the smoke was much, much worse than the day before. My air filter, once green and operating optimally, was now blinking yellow, indicating I need to change the filter. Our advisor said if we had the ability to leave Pasadena, to do so. The Eaton Fire and the scorched Earth it left behind seemed to have no end in sight.