Living at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, residents of the city of Sierra Madre are ever mindful of fire risk, even amid the charm of the town’s Mayberry-esque vibe.
In recent times, the Bobcat fire, in 2020, was a potent reminder of the threat of wildfire to this 3-square-mile, close-knit town of just more than 11,000 just below the southern border with the Angeles National Forest and north of the 210 freeway.
But the explosion of Tuesday’s Eaton fire, which overnight moved east threatening Sierra Madre, driven by fierce and relentless wind gusts scorched properties, left its own kind of mark on a town revered for its historic foothill landmarks.
By afternoon Wednesday, thankfully no one had been reported injured in the city, but half the town had been evacuated and structures in the city’s west side had been scorched and threatened, said Sierra Madre spokesperson Laura Aguilar.
Even in a town so close to the foothills, structures escaped flames in recent years. Not this time, Aguilar said, noting that officials were just trying to keep up with the fast-moving fire on Wednesday and hadn’t fully assessed what specifically had been damage in a fire still at zero containment.
“The fire was very fast-moving, fueled by the windstorm,” Aguilar said. “As we were putting information out it, was changing very quickly.”
Ultimately, about 2,200 homes were evacuated in the city, encompassing an area between Michillinda Avenue to the west all the way through east to the border with Arcadia. Mandatory evacuation orders remained in place for all areas north of Sierra Madre Boulevard.
“I’ve been here through a number of fires … this is the first fire where we’ve had loss of property,” Aguilar said, recounting the last 17 years or so. “It’s a different feeling. We’re a very tight-knit community and we are the cliche of neighbors helping neighbors. When one neighbor is hurting we are all hurting.”
It was the result of a fast-moving brush fire in the Eaton Canyon area, which exploded in size on Wednesday, topping 10,000 acres while claiming two lives and destroying hundreds of structures while prompting school closures throughout the area.
The fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the hills above Altadena, according to Cal Fire.
As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire reported the fire had grown to 10,600 acres and was 0% contained.
Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said between 200 to 500 structures had been destroyed, and another 13,000 structures were at risk. More than 32,500 residents were placed under evacuation orders in the nearby regions including Pasadena and Altadena, she said.
Initially dubbed the Close Fire but later changed to the Eaton Fire, the blaze quickly exploded Tuesday night, driven by the same Santa Ana winds that sparked a devastating wildfire in Pacific Palisades and another in the Sylmar area.
By Wednesday morning, the Sierra Madre’s fire chief, Brent Bartlett, had worked through the night, his department of 18 firefighters joined by other through mutual-aid battling the blaze and protecting structures.
Ultimately, though, the fire could not be stopped in all corners.
Among the damaged local structures was the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center – Mater Dolorosa on North Sunnyside Avenue.
The Catholic retreat center dates back to 1924, offering a sacred and quite place for reflection for generations of guests.
It suffered damage, including to offices and a villa.
“It’s got damage, but the structure is still standing,” Aguilar said.
She also said the Wisteria Vine, declared by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1990 to be the largest blossoming plant in the world, had escaped damage “at the moment,” Aguilar said.
There are also revered vintage homes in the area.
But as revered as places such as the retreat or Lizzy’s Trial Inn — a museum dedicated to the city’s history — the most important things was preserving life, said Rachelle Arizmendi, a former city councilwoman who evacuated Tuesday night with her husband and dog, Maddy.
Arizmendi was thankful to be alive and have a place to go in nearby Azusa, but as Tuesday night into Wednesday unfolded, it’s stunning speed amid a fierce windstorm literally hit home, and the heart.
“There’s a part of you that feel so helpless to see this,” she said, noting the power of Mother Nature “taking her course.”
Even under the most prepared circumstances, she wondered if anyone could be fully prepared for something like this.
Arizmendi, also the city’s former mayor, was heartened by the city’s full-time fire department.
For a city well more than 100 years old, it was only 2017 when the City Council voted to convert its combination paid and volunteer Fire Department into a full-time service department.
The department traces its roots back to the 1920s, when the all-volunteer outfit fashioned a first-aid wagon out of a donated chassis. It served as a combination fire truck, first aid kit, resuscitator and stretcher, and ambulance.
“We’re in a better place now as it relates to other fire agencies,” she said.
Residents on Thursday lamented the loss of homes along the foothills. But they cheered the city’s resilience, and its sense of closeness.
Arizmendi described neighbors knocking on doors to make sure they were OK and had places to go.
There’s a saying in town that it’s not a place where people live for decades, Arizmendi said. “People live here for generations.”