On the evening of  January 7, 2025 several destructive wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area, including the fast-moving Eaton Fire near the neighborhoods of Altadena and Pasadena. Firefighters and three night-flying helicopters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were ordered to respond. They intended to drop water on the Eaton fire but, buffeted by ferocious updrafts and downdrafts, aborted the operation at 6:45 p.m. By midnight, the fire expanded to over 1,000 acres fueled by strong Santa Ana wind blowing northeast to southwest with gusts of up to 100 mph.

As flames threatened neighborhoods, Pasadena Transit operators from Transdev were called on to help. Working around the clock for three days, fourteen bus drivers led by their manager and dispatcher Letty Ochoa and assistant general manager Erasmo Rodriguez, drove through flames, flying embers and overwhelming smoke and managed to rescue 500 people living in senior centers and getting them out of harm’s way. Letty Ochoa is with us to talk about that dramatic experience and the heroic response of members of Transdev when their community was threatened. 

The Eaton Fire eventually killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings, becoming the 5th deadliest and 2nd most destructive wildfire in California history. It burned simultaneously with the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains, which spread to 23,448 acres, killed 12 people and destroyed 6,837 structures.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
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