Fire 1 — An Armenian home on Riviera Drive in Pasadena, California

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Dangerous Fires Rage in Southern California

January 8, 2025

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WATERTOWN — Terrible fires have spread through several areas in Los Angeles County, including the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, the Eaton fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, spreading to Pasadena and Altadena and then going towards La Cañada Flintridge and parts of Glendale – all neighborhoods with large Armenian populations, and several places in the San Fernando Valley.

The Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School in Altadena, California, in flames

The fires started Tuesday, January 7, and spread due to the strong Santa Ana winds. Over 30,000 people in the Pacific Palisades area were forced to evacuate their homes, and over 52,000 were evacuated in Pasadena, Altadena and surrounding areas. Five deaths have been reported due to the latter fire.

Over 1,500,000 people had no electricity by Wednesday afternoon, January 8, in southern California,

The federal government sent aircraft, helicopters and other firefighting equipment.

In Altadena, the Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School burned down. Chair of the Board of Directors Arlin Titanian told this newspaper on January 9 that nobody was in the school building that day. It was going to be the first day of school but there were winds and bad air quality that already led to canceling the opening even before the fire.

She said, “For now, we haven’t figured out what to do about construction. Our top priority right now is to find a stable, safe environment for our students to continue their education and bring some things back to normal, especially for the students who lost their own homes. We are trying to connect with and help their families in their situation as well.”

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She estimated that at least 10-15 students’ families lost their homes in Pasadena and Altadena.

Titanian said that there will probably first be a relocation. The school was examining several options and soon will finalize and publicly announce its plan. The idea is to stay in the Pasadena area since people are used to that commute and the school has not used buses in the past.

The khachkar that survived the fire at the Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School in Altadena (photo courtesy Arlin Titanian)

Optimistically, Titanian said that while the building was not salvageable, “Very symbolically, our khachkar [cross-stone] is still up. Our faith is still up. Our God is still standing. That is where all of our hope and faith is.”

Homes of a number of Armenians in Altadena and in Pasadena have been damaged or destroyed, along with medical centers and other non-Armenian schools. The Tekeyan Cultural Association Beshgeturian Center in Altadena appears to be safe for now as is the St. Gregory A. & M. Hovsepian Armenian School in Pasadena.

A number of local Armenians the Mirror-Spectator contacted had been evacuated and went to stay with relatives in safer areas, though sometimes they had to move a second and even third time to escape the spreading fires.

Construction Inspector at Los Angeles County Department of Public Works Shant Dergazarian estimated that by the evening of January 8 that some 15 homes of Armenians have been destroyed in Altadena. Other individuals reported to the Mirror-Spectator that evening personal knowledge of a number of homes in Pasadena which had been destroyed, as well as in the Pacific Palisades and other areas affected by fire. By the night of January 9, the number of ruined Pasadena-Altadena homes was estimated as 36.

The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

Dangerous Fires Continue to Ravage Los Angeles County

Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian told the Mirror-Spectator on Wednesday afternoon that there is still zero percent containment of the fire. Over 100 homes and structures were lost during the overnight ours. Pasasdena requested 50 strike teams (a strike team consists of five fire engines), and they have been arriving all day from several states. Some water-dropping aircraft have been arriving.

Meanwhile, she said that there were around 1,200 residents taking refuge at the Pasadena Convention Center.

She said, “This is the worst case scenario. It doesn’t get worse than this.” Derderian noted that the fires will continue to spread as long as there is wind, and it may go one for several days.

Scenes from the fire in Altadena, California courtesy of Shant Dergazarian

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Glendale City Council member Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian told the Mirror-Spectator that Glendale is affected because after two years of very wet seasons with record rainfall, drought conditions dried up vegetation that were prone to fires, which the strong Santa Ana winds spread. It is too early to tell what started the fire in this area, whether arson or aging infrastructure, but fortunately for Glendale, he said at present the direction of the winds are not affecting Glendale. Evacuations of Chevy Chase and Glen Oaks Canyons, nestled between local mountains, were conducted as a precaution because such actions would become very difficult in conditions of fire.

A major problem is sufficient water pressure when there are fires of this size, Kassakhian added. All regional fire resources are stretched thin, with Glendale crews helping Altadena and Pasadena. The damage from the strong winds have also knocked out power around the city, along with a number of trees, he said. There were some 9,000 people still without electricity but in the last few hours it is being restored.

Kassakhian concluded that fires, windstorms and similar events are not things that are predictable, whether from a Democratic or Republican perspective, and it was not the time for partisan attacks, which have appeared on social media, since there is only one way to put out a fire.

By Thursday morning, January 9, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Capt. Anthony Marrone, the Eaton fire slowed but still was at zero containment and extended through 10,600 acres, having destroyed or damaged over 1,000 homes. According to Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting, though it was not disclosed in which locations. (See here.)

Newly elected California State Assemblyman John Harabedian, whose Assembly district includes Pasadena, Altadena and other areas affected by the fires, said at the end of the afternoon Thursday that although the wind temporarily had died down, the Eaton Fire was massive and still expanding. Although the respite has allowed firefighters to make rescues to get people to safety and deal with the structural fires, Harabedian said that the fire is still technically zero percent contained. That means, he explained, that clear boundaries could not be set around it past which it could not go, but the work of saving people and some property was continuing.

He noted, “There are still really perilous things happening. It is all hands on deck and we are not out of this. The wind may be picking up and that is something that we are very careful about.”

While the emergency response and recovery is led by county fire, county sheriffs, CalFire, and Angeles National Fire, Harabedian said that federal and state officials like himself are assisting in any way possible with supplies, and getting the processes going for residents to obtain state and federal resources, but the latter’s role will become even more important afterwards to help in the rebuilding process which will take years, as evidenced by past examples over the last two decades.

Harabedian said, “My commitment is we are going to fight for every penny and every dollar from the Federal government with the support of our local Congressional representatives, who will also be fighting and doing everything they can…. The Biden administration has been great. It has made many pledges of support, and we will make sure and do our best that the Trump administration continues to do that. I am hopeful because these are American problems. These are not Democratic fires or Republican fires. We are all Americans and we all need help. I will use my position with full force to make sure that my constituents get all the help that they need.”

Meanwhile, the intact Armenian centers and churches in Pasadena are coming together to help the population. Furthermore, the Hovsepian School has started a GoFundMe campaign for the Sahag-Mesrob School, stating: “We cannot stand by as mere spectators in times like these. It’s our duty to actively support a fallen Armenian school; otherwise, our values lose their meaning.” The fund (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-restore-sahagmesrob-school), with a goal of $50,000, already raised almost $22,000 as of Thursday evening and is going strong.

The Sahag-Mesrob School itself is accepting donations through Zelle (see its website) and its alumni also may very soon start another GoFundMe.

Titanian declared that the school’s board of directors and the school association “are very, very thankful for all the community, schools, organizations and churches that have contacted us and raised their hands to help us. We truly, truly appreciate the amount of support that we got. Honestly, it just gives me chills to even talk about it.”

She stressed: “Our school has always been a community school. Whoever has stepped foot in Sahag-Mesrob can say that our school is like a family. The building is gone but our school is not just a building. It is a community, and that hasn’t been damaged, that has not gone through the fire. That is what Sahag-Mesrob stands for and we will get through this.”

Harabedian in conclusion advised the following to readers in southern California: “Heed the evacuation warnings. If there is a mandatory evacuation warning, and it is still in effect, please do not go back to your homes. The water quality and the air quality right now are very perilous. If you have been in an evacuation zone, because of the ash and the soot, the water is not necessarily safe to drink. You should be drinking bottled water. Please do not go back into your house even if you think it is safe, or try to go back to your neighborhood if it is part of a mandatory evacuation, because the winds are still in a state where they could pick up and things could become dangerous again.”

This is an ongoing story, to be updated.

See the following videos on Facebook made by Pastor Hovhannes Halladjian of Pasadena and the burned Sahag-Mesrob School in ruins: