Massive Bear Moves Into Crawl Space Of Altadena Home During Evacuation

LOS ANGELES, CA — When an Altadena couple returned home after the Eaton Fire evacuation orders were lifted, they didn't know what they'd find — it could easily have been ashes and rubble they returned to like thousands of their neighbors.

What they didn't expect? A 525-pound bear for a roommate.

One of the largest bears California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials had ever seen in the region had waited out the fires in the crawl space of their home.

The utility company informed the couple that power couldn't be restored, as there was a bear under the home where the company needed to work.

"We ended up putting a ring camera with a light on it under the crawlspace and found out we have a giant bear under there. It was nerve-wracking for a while," homeowner Samy Arbid told CBS News. "I think during the fire he pretty much stayed in there. I think he was scared."

The Arbids needed help luring the bear, known to neighbors as Barry, away.

That turned out to be easier said than done.

Barry was too big to be taken down with a tranquilizer gun.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist Kevin Howells spent nearly 24 hours with a team of eight wildlife employees trying to lure the big boy out of his safe space.

"After assessing the crawlspace and size of bear, it became clear that chemical immobilization of the bear was not an option," according to an Instagram post by the department. "Howells and other experts determined a bear trap placed near the crawlspace opening would be the best decision given the situation."

A trip to the grocery store for some fruit, a rotisserie chicken, sardines, peanut butter and some tomato sauce solved the problem. Wildlife officials placed the feast in the trap and waited.

They didn't have to wait long.

"Within minutes of placing the trap, the bear came out of the crawlspace, walked in and triggered the trap door," according to the department. "The bear was transported in the trap into Angeles National Forest and given a welfare check, GPS-collared, and measured before being safely released just after midnight."