Even as Southern California residents mourn the devastating losses of their fire-ravaged neighbors, many Los Angeles County residents cannot escape a profound sense of how easily their neighbors’ fate might have befallen them.
That sense is especially acute in South Pasadena which, but for the heroic efforts of some three dozen fire-fighters and a half dozen police officers, narrowly avoided tragedies like those still unfolding with the ‘Eaton Fire’ in Altadena, Pasadena, & Foothill Cities and Pacific Palisades.
At 5:10 pm last Tuesday, Jan 7, less than an hour before the Eaton Fire roared to life in Altadena, a fire was reported in the exclusive eastern estates of South Pasadena’s Monterey Hills.
Dubbed the Teresa Fire, it broke out in a grove of trees on the steep slope between St. Albans Ave. and Santa Teresa St, pushed by 30 to 40 mph winds and gusts up to 50 mph.
The 911 call was reportedly placed by a realtor on Santa Teresa who saw a tree burning.
Only a few hours earlier, around noon that day, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, advising temperature, humidity and wind conditions were creating an increased risk of fire. By 2 pm, South Pasadena activated its Emergency Operations Center; the South Pasadena police and fire chiefs were on station, emergency plans were reviewed and additional personnel from both departments were called up and placed on standby.
Fire Chief Gregory Lloyd, only four months on the job, was patrolling in his city-issued vehicle when he heard the call about the Teresa Fire from the Verdugo Fire Communications Center.
Turning south from where he’d been driving near Mission St. and Fremont Ave., Chief Lloyd saw the smoke rising from the Monterey Hills. He was immediately concerned because the dark plume was moving sideways, indicating wind was definitely influencing the fire and could complicate suppression, or even force crews to withdraw. “Once a fire is established,” he said, “you can’t stop them”.
His trepidation grew as he recalled his first tour of the area and its innate fire hazards—narrow, winding streets and steep slopes–reminiscent of the conditions that compounded the devastation during the 1991 Tunnel Fire in Oakland.
When he arrived at the ‘Teresa Fire’ in Monterey Hills, Lloyd said what he saw alarmed him. “Personally, I was very worried during those first 10 to 15 minutes.” He said “we had a small window to keep that fire in check.”
Police were already evacuating residents on along St Albans Ave, Santa Teresa and Los Laurels Street. South Pasadena Fire Chief Lloyd was the first of dozens of fire fighters to arrive at the scene. Pursuant to red flag protocol, normal response was doubled; eight units were headed to the scene: two South Pasadena fire units and an ambulance; two Alhambra fire units, two from Los Angeles and one from Pasadena. Two engines were positioned on each street around the fire. After surveying the scene, Chief Lloyd issued a second alarm, calling up five more fire engines.
Video Credit: Nathan and Abigail Greene | The South Pasadena News: Large 2 alarm fire on Tuesday January 7, 2025 on Santa Teresa Street in South Pasadena. Updates: SouthPasadenan.com News
One thing working in firefighters’ favor was that fire was not directly in or aligned with the wind, Lloyd said. Moreover, the department “took an aggressive stance” against the fire, which he said was “integral in keeping it from becoming a disaster.”
“Everyone knew what needed to be done and was doing it,” the chief said, adding he was proud to watch them work. He praised the police for their coordinated evacuation. A neighbor along Los Laurels, Ed Lee, said police went door-to-door along his street.
Roughly two dozen neighbors gathered at the corner of Santa Teresa and Los Laurels below the evacuation zone where they waited out the fire. Lee also praised the South Pasadena Police for directing people to the wider streets to preserve right-of-way access and for setting a calm tone by acting with politeness and deliberation.
The department got control of the fire within about 30 minutes. Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief when the captain of engine 39 reported to him, “Forward progress stopped.” He cancelled the second alarm he issued for the other five units before they’ve even arrived and, knowing conditions elsewhere were worsening, he release those that had responded.
He heard a dispatcher reassigning the Pasadena unit; uncertain they heard it, he made sure. He remembers the fateful moment he turned to the Pasadena unit’s Captain and said: “You’re going to Altadena.”
The department spent less than two hours fighting the the Teresa fire.
Although some trees were damaged, no one was hurt and there was no structural damage. The main fire was contained to half an acre. For the moment, the cause of the fire is listed as “suspicious but undetermined,” though the chief said an investigation is ongoing.
Dean Serwin, among the nearby Monterey Hills neighbors, said he was pleased to hear the fire got knocked down. “I am so grateful for our South Pasadena Fire fighters… They saved us from the devastation experienced elsewhere.”
