Residents in the Pasadena and Altadena areas captured the harrowing moments when the Eaton Fire began on Tuesday evening. Pedro Rojas, a Pasadena resident, recorded a video from his backyard around 6:24 p.m. on January 7, showing flames at the base of an electrical transmission tower. Within 20 minutes, Rojas and his family were evacuated as the fire rapidly grew.
Officials are currently investigating the electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon as the possible origin site of the fire. Rojas described the night as quiet until a neighbor alerted him to the flames. Despite evacuating with only essential items, Rojas and his family were fortunate that their house survived, unlike some neighboring homes that were destroyed.
Another Altadena couple, Jennifer and Marcus Errico, also witnessed a similar scene at Eaton Canyon around 6:15 p.m. They spotted a small blaze underneath the transmission line and captured photos of the fire. Marcus described seeing a glow in the hillside above their house and noticing flames at the base of one of the transformer towers.
Jeffrey Ku, another Altadena resident, recorded video footage of the fire at the base of the tower at 6:19 p.m. He and his wife, Cheryll, had to quickly evacuate as the fire intensified. Ku mentioned that the sky was filled with an orange haze and smoke as they drove away from their home.
Residents in the affected areas are currently staying in hotels until they can return to their neighborhoods. The ongoing investigation aims to determine the cause of the Eaton Fire, which has left a trail of destruction in its wake.
