Altadena sheriff’s station reopens after smoke contaminants prompted closure

Four days after airborne contamination from wildfire smoke prompted the closure of its Altadena station, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday the facility is once again fully operational.

The station narrowly escaped the flames of the Eaton fire, which on the morning of Jan. 8 came so close to the building on East Altadena Drive that deputies were forced to evacuate with whatever they could carry.

The park across the street caught fire, as did the shrubs around the station. Ash blew into the front lobby, and the California flag flying overhead disintegrated in the heat of the Eaton fire.

But after briefly relocating to the nearby Crescenta Valley sheriff’s station, Altadena deputies soon returned to their usual station despite the heavy smell of smoke and the lack of running water.

Then on Wednesday, sheriff’s officials sent an urgent message to patrol cars, saying the Altadena air had become so toxic after days of wildfires that deputies should wear masks on the job and decontaminate their uniforms before stepping foot in their homes.

The following day, the department received a letter from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health regarding an employee complaint.

“Employees are going back to work at the station and are worried about airborne contaminants from wildfire smoke,” the letter said.

The captain decided to temporarily close the station later that day, though deputies continued to patrol the area, enforce road closures and ward off looters.

Speaking at a town hall on Sunday, Sheriff Robert Luna said that Cal/OSHA officials had inspected the building and that he expected to reopen it early this week.

Late Monday afternoon, the department said it had installed air purifiers and restored running water in the main station as well as the smaller buildings behind it.

The reopening comes nearly two weeks after deputies first responded to reports of a Jan. 7 wildfire in Eaton Canyon, which killed at least 17 people and chewed through thousands of homes, businesses and historic buildings in unincorporated Altadena and nearby Pasadena.

By Monday afternoon, state fire officials reported the 14,000-acre blaze was 87% contained.