Bonta orders civil rights probe into Eaton Fire response

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday that the state Department of Justice will investigate whether race, age or disability discrimination affected the emergency response to the Eaton Fire in the historically Black community of West Altadena.

The probe, led by the department's Civil Rights Enforcement Section, will examine whether systemic failures delayed evacuation notices to West Altadena while neighboring areas received timely warnings. At least 19 people died in the fire, with an average age of 77.

"We know that evacuation warnings for the historically Black neighborhood of West Altadena came many hours after these same warnings were sent to the rest of Altadena," Bonta said in a statement. "We must let the facts uncovered by our investigation determine what went wrong here, but one thing holds true: The people of West Altadena deserve answers to their questions and deserve institutions that are responsive to their concerns, and institutions they can trust."

The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings, ranking among the deadliest wildfires in California history.

Bonta credited community members with bringing evidence of potential disparities to his office's attention.

"The West Altadena community rang the alarm and brought compelling evidence to the attention of my office," he said.

The investigation will focus on potential civil rights violations within the department's jurisdiction. Officials declined to provide additional details, citing the need to protect the integrity of the investigation.