LOS ANGELES—California’s top prosecutor announced a civil rights investigation Thursday into how delayed evacuations impacted a historically Black community ravaged by one of last year’s deadly wildfires near Los Angeles.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said the investigation was spurred by months of conversation with community members and fire survivors concerned about the disparate impact of the fire on the west side of Altadena, an unincorporated town in LA County. The Eaton Fire was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, 2025. It killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures.
