Altadena Fire Map: See Eaton Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas Thursday

ALTADENA, CA — A fast-moving brush fire in the Eaton Canyon area exploded in size Wednesday, topping 10,000 acres while claiming five lives and damaging more than 1,000 buildings in Altadena, Pasadena and surrounding communities.

More than 32,500 residents remained under evacuation orders in the nearby regions, including Pasadena and Altadena.

Click here to see evacuation order updates.

The fire expanded rapidly Wednesday, the strongest hours of a windstorm that began Tuesday morning and was set to continue into Thursday. The erratic winds grounded aerial firefighting assets, and ground crews were unable to keep pace with the flames' advance overnight.

Lisa Brounstein and her husband lost their 100-year-old Altadena home on West Harriet Street. They evacuated on Tuesday night after grabbing a handful of items, including some clothes, their computers and the contents of their safe.

"We left behind so much, including all the tools and materials for my small business. We were sure we were going back this morning when the winds died down and the fire danger was over," she said. "Instead, early this morning we got a notification from our alarm system that a smoke detector detected fire. Then one by one, all the window monitors went off, letting us know the windows were open. That was when we knew our house was gone. It was later confirmed by two neighbors. ... We loved our little house. It was perfect! It had just turned 100 in 2024. This feels surreal."

An evacuation center was established at the Arcadia Community Center at 375 Campus Drive. Pasadena officials ordered evacuations for residents north of Orange Grove/Rosemead Boulevard, east of Lake Avenue and west of Michilinda Avenue. An evacuation center for those residents was established at the Pasadena Civic Center, 300 E. Green St.

SEE ALSO:

--> Sylmar Fire Map: See Hurst Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas

Eaton Fire Explodes To 2,000 Acres Near Altadena

--> Pacific Palisades Fire Burns 3,000 Acres; 10,300 Homes Threatened

--> Palisades Fire Map: See Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas

City News Service contributed to this report.