Fast-moving Eaton fire explodes in Pasadena, Altadena: ‘We’re not playing around. This is serious’ 

Homes burn near Altadena Dr. and New York Dr. in Altadena due to the Eton Fire on Tuesday night, Jan. 7, 2025. 

A fire broke out Tuesday night in the hills above Altadena near Eaton Canyon, prompting a response from firefighters. The Eaton fire has burned more than 400 acres and prompted evacuations in the area west of the Eaton Canyon Golf Course, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Kinneloa Canyon Road, Outpost Lane, Glen Springs Road, Coolidge Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue, Veranada Avenue, Kinclair Drive, Fox Ridge Drive, Canyon Close Road, Grand Oaks Avenue, and the areas east of Altadena Drive, north of New York Drive, and west of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue were also listed as streets where residents were instructed to leave right away by officials.

Pasadena mandated evacuations "for the area west of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, east of Altadena Drive, and north of New York Drive." Please bring everything you'll need to be ready to go for a long time if you're in the evacuation area.

Authorities encourage homeowners in the Eaton Canyon fire's path to pay attention to warnings, according to Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.

She declared, "We're not playing around here." "This is a serious matter."

Officials have suspended air coverage due to the severe winds, she said, leaving firemen on the ground to protect homes and save lives.

Near Washington Boulevard and Altadena Drive, firefighters were attempting to evacuate a number of residents from a convalescent home.

According to Derderian, the fire's ferocity and high winds are reminiscent of the 1990s fires, such as the 1993 Kinneloa fire, which destroyed 196 buildings in Altadena.

Inside their homes, residents within three miles of the Eaton Canyon fire could smell and see orange flames.

Firetrucks sped past them as they made their way down from Altadena without the use of traffic lights due to a power outage, just before they were given a mandatory evacuation order.

People who had lived in the Pasadena region for decades and had witnessed the last significant fire claimed they had never seen anything like this. People were "desperately trying to get out," according to one woman, so it took almost thirty minutes to walk ten blocks.

Due to the fire, the Pasadena Unified School District will close all of its schools on Wednesday.

The catastrophic fire that broke out in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday was caused by strong winds.

Overnight, the gusts are predicted to get stronger, according to fire officials.