Eaton Fire

Status

Just after sunset on the evening of January 7, 2025, the entirety of Eaton Canyon was burned in the historic Eaton Fire. As a direct result, Eaton Canyon Natural Area, Eaton Canyon Open Space, and the part of the Angeles National Forest that contains Eaton Canyon are all under a strict hard closure. No access of any kind at any official or unofficial trailhead is permitted at this time. This closure is being done in an effort to aid the canyon in it’s natural recovery, while also keeping people safe from rockfalls, unstable trails and poor air quality in the area.

No official recovery plan has been released yet by the City of Pasadena, the Angeles National Forest, or the County of Los Angeles. Based on how other parks work in the United States, it is unlikely Eaton Canyon would reopen to the general public until the late 2020s. We’ll know more once official plans are released.

We understand the desire to get back into the canyon, especially after such formidable changes. However, now just isn’t the right time. We will get there one day soon.

What We Know So Far

Last updated: April 17, 12:28 PM

Gale-force winds in Eaton Canyon in the hours prior to the start of the Eaton Fire.

The remains of the Eaton Canyon Nature Center

The Night of January 7th:

At 6:10:59 PM on January 7, 2025 during a vigorous Santa Ana windstorm, a power surge at the Gould Mesa Substation caused an arcing event at tower #3 of Southern California Edison’s transmission lines on the ridge above Coyote Canyon at Eaton Canyon.
At 6:11:02 PM, just 3 seconds later, a second power surge occurred at the same substation, also causing an arcing event at the same tower.
At 6:11:15 PM, or 13 seconds later, molten metal fell to the ground and caught brush below tower #3 on fire.
Approximately 93.1% of the 8.01 square miles that make up Eaton Canyon burned in the now historic 2025 Eaton Fire. Roughly 0.54 square miles (6.9%) near San Gabriel Peak and Mount Markham were spared, all of which is >4,000′ in elevation.
Maximum wind gusts the night of the Eaton Fire peaked at 70.1 MPH at the overflow parking lot, 68.2 MPH at the Pinecrest Gate, and 90 MPH at the Henninger Helipad.
The Eaton Fire is the second most destructive wildfire in California state history with 9,418 destroyed structures. It is the 5th deadliest with 17 lives lost.
The Eaton Fire burned extremely hot throughout the entirety of the foothills above Altadena, wiping away a vast majority of vegetation. While many roots are still alive to re-sprout shrubs like Laurel Sumac, only large trees survived above ground.
Lost structures within Eaton Canyon include: The Eaton Canyon Nature Center, the Eaton Canyon Nursery, The Outdoor Classroom, The Polygon Picnic Area, The Visitor’s Center at the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Henninger Flats Campground.
A weather station spiking to 96°F in the overflow lot shows that the Nature Center was engulfed between 7:00 PM and 7:10 PM, which is only 40 minutes after the Eaton Fire started.
Nearby residents say the canyon was dark by 8:00 PM, indicating the fire burned extremely hot and exhausted all fuel in a short amount of time.
Many north-facing slopes in upper Eaton Canyon experienced limited fire due to excess moisture, with false-color imaging revealing an unimpacted tree canopy by the fire.

Embercast at the Midwick Gate, 8:35 PM, January 7, 2025. Video: Drew Dembowski

January 2025

All Eaton Canyon trails, including those within the Angeles National Forest, the City of Pasadena Open Space, and the Los Angeles County Natural Area are declared closed through December 31st, 2025. For the National Forest, it is a near certainty the closure will be extended through the entirety of 2026.
The Midwick, New York, and main entrances are all completely fenced off to keep hikers out of the park.
Security camera footage of the nearby Arco Gas station on Altadena Dr. and New York Dr. provides alarming evidence that the Eaton Fire was started by Southern California Edison Transmission lines in the foothills below Henninger Flats on a ridge above Coyote Canyon.
President Joseph R. Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a Disaster Declaration for the Eaton, Palisades, and Hurst fires.

February 2025:

The first Eaton Canyon event post-Eaton Fire, a bagged lunch for volunteers at an off-site Pasadena library, is held.
On February 13th, 2025, a thunderstorm carrying 57.5 dBZ rain rates as recorded by doppler radar moved over the canyon, destroying Eaton Wash, taking out 100+ Western Sycamores and White Alders, rerouting Eaton Creek, and depositing 1,000+ logs within the wash portion of the canyon. This flood marks the 3rd or 4th most extreme flood of the past century at Eaton Canyon, behind only the 1969 and 1980 floods.
The Eaton Canyon Trail, the Walnut Canyon Trail, the Coyote Canyon Trail, the East Bank Trail, the West Bank Trail, the Altadena Crest Trail, and the Mount Wilson Toll Road all faced severe to critical damage due to the mudflows, and each trail will need to be reconstructed.
The County of Los Angeles, the City of Pasadena, and the City of Sierra Madre sue Southern California Edison for their role in starting the historic Eaton Fire.

March 2025:

A second major flood in less than one month strikes the park on March 13th. Although extreme, this flood does far less damage to trees within the park. In some cases, the creek route actually reverted back to it’s pre-February 13th route. The size of the March 13th flood was difficult to ascertain given it’s overshadowing by February 13th.
The clearing of homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire near the canyon ramps up rapidly. As of March 25th, 9 of the 72 structures that need to be cleared have already been removed. This represents a progress of 12.5%.
Southern California Edison admits they knew their powerlines within Eaton Canyon were long overdue for maintenance.

April 2025:

As of April 1st, 25.0% of those burned structures within 1 block of Eaton Canyon have been cleared of debris.