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Residents Defy Rules in L.A. Burn Zones
The Wall Street Journal|January 16, 2025
People hold their ground in neighborhoods struck by fires, skirting evacuation orders
- Sean McLain, Dan Frosch and Joe Flint
Residents Defy Rules in L.A. Burn Zones

In the still-smoldering neighborhoods of Altadena, where fires destroyed more than 2,700 structures, about 80 people have defied orders to evacuate, staying behind to protect what is left of their properties from looters and more fires after losing faith in authorities.

Residents patrol streets and interrogate strangers, living in a Hobbesian world without electricity or clean drinking water. Some are armed. They are hemmed in by yellow caution tape at neighborhood entrances flanked by National Guard troops, Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies and California Highway Patrol officers.

"We do feel like we're in the Wild West," said Aaron Lubeley, a 53-yearold lawyer who is one of the holdouts and serves as an unofficial emissary with police and fire representatives.

If Lubeley and the others try to leave, they risk being shut out. On Monday, one of Lubeley's friends, Janely Sandoval, delivered essentials. The real-estate broker drove her white Mercedes SUV up to the neighborhood checkpoint and stacked supplies for Lubeley and others at the makeshift border: water, bagels, bananas, grain-free tortilla chips and other staples.

"Can you guys hurry up?" one officer told Sandoval as she finished. "We just got an order not to allow any supplies through."

Before Sandoval departed, Lubeley asked, "Can I hug my friend?" The officer nodded, and Lubeley and Sandoval embraced across the yellow tape.

EveAnna Manley, one of the Altadena holdouts, had prepared for this moment. Her house has a natural-gas generator supplying 22 kilowatts of power, enough for several refrigerators, making her one of the few neighbors with electricity. She has 60 gallons of drinking water in the basement, as well as a reverse-osmosis water filter and hot-water tanks for showering.

This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.

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This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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