Oct. 7, 2026 7 AM PT
To the editor: Reading this article brings back more memories of Jan. 7, 2025, (“Botched Altadena evacuations, dysfunction in Pacific Palisades: Long-awaited fire investigation identifies missteps,” Oct. 2). Every day I see more articles and opinions online. Sometimes you just want a break.
Bottom line, I cannot put blame on our Sheriff’s Department or the Los Angeles Fire Department. No one knew what would happen that night or could be prepared for it. Our local Sheriff’s Department in Altadena did an incredible job. We have a limited number of officers in Altadena. How could they have been prepared for this?
I live in east Altadena. On Jan. 7, my power flickered at 6:45 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., my neighbors were pounding on my door, telling me to get out. We saw the fire coming. I did not receive an evacuation notice until 10 p.m.; by that time, I was at the Hilton in Pasadena.
It was a horrible tragedy for all. But if you see a fire coming, you need to make plans to get out. It’s not always our Sheriff’s Department’s or Fire Department’s responsibility.
I was displaced for eight months. My home was damaged. Every day we live with this, as most of my immediate neighborhood is gone. We are dealing with burnt lots, messed-up streets and the constant noise and dust from the rebuilds.
Out of the ashes, a garden will grow again. Let’s stop all the blaming and learn from the past.
Mike Bowling, Altadena
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To the editor: I get that the laser focus of the Los Angeles Times’ outstanding piece on the new report about local agency failures related to last year’s deadly L.A. fires is exactly that. But I’m dismayed that this long and detailed explanation lacked a single reference to how climate change worsened these fires — a fact the paper itself has reported.
As more journalists and others understand, every reporter is a climate reporter. There is no isolated “climate beat” as we face down this civilizational crisis. And I’m a giant and vocal fan of the paper’s climate and environment coverage — it’s part of why I continue to subscribe in print. But as renowned climate and atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe urges, we must talk about climate change. We must act too, of course. So please don’t ever, ever leave it out of the conversation.
Zan Dubin, Santa Monica
This writer is a former Los Angeles Times reporter and does media relations for Third Act, a nonprofit for climate and democracy advocates over 60.