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

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.

Officials also told people living on these streets to evacuate immediately: 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 areas east of Altadena Drive, north of New York Drive and west of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue.

Pasadena ordered mandatory evacuations “for the area north of New York Drive, east of Altadena Drive, and west of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. If you are in the evacuation area, please take all necessary items with you to be prepared to leave for an extended period of time.”

Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said authorities want residents in the path of the Eaton Canyon fire to heed warnings.

“We’re not playing around here,” she said. “This is serious.”

Several homes have burned, but an exact number was unavailable.

She said the strong winds have prompted officials to suspend air coverage, leaving firefighters on the ground to protect homes and save lives.

Firefighters were trying to evacuate several people from a convalescent home near Washington Boulevard and Altadena Drive.

Derderian said the strong winds and intensity of the fire are reminiscent of the fires in the 1990s, including the 1993 Kinneloa fire, which destroyed 196 buildings in Altadena.

Residents less than three miles away from the Eaton Canyon fire could see orange flames and smell fire from inside their homes.

Just before they received a mandatory evacuation order, they inched their way down from Altadena as firetrucks raced past them, navigating their way without traffic lights affected by power outage.

Those who have lived in the area for decades and experienced the last major fire in the Pasadena area said they’d never experienced anything like this. One woman said it took about 30 minutes to get 10 blocks as people were “desperately trying to get out.”

All schools will be closed Wednesday in the Pasadena Unified School District because of the fire.

Several other school districts including Alhambra, Glendale, Burbank, San Marino and South Pasadena are also closing.

A separate fire in Pasadena, the Bert Fire, had expanded to three acres just before 10 p.m. Tuesday night, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.The fire is in east Pasadena, near San Gabriel and several miles from the blazing Eaton fire.

The blaze comes amid intense winds that sparked a destructive fire in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.

Fire officials say the winds are expected to intensify overnight.