EYEWITNESS

Couple Recalls Harrowing Moment L.A. Wildfire First Sparked

The husband and wife, Marcus and Jennifer Errico, were among the first to report the Eaton fire to police.

A Pasadena couple recalled witnessing the first moments of the horrific Eaton fire as it broke out Tuesday evening near Los Angeles. “My husband came home at 6:15 and ran in and said the electrical tower that’s across the canyon and up from us, is on fire,” resident Jennifer Errico told Pasadena Now on what her husband Marcus first saw. “I called 9-1-1 and within 10 minutes the fire was down across the canyon.” The couple were among the first to spot and report the wildfire in the area, with Errico recalling: “We grabbed our to-go boxes, ran around the cul-de-sac ringing doorbells.” She added that fire crews arrived within 15 minutes and ordered everyone to evacuate immediately. Since Tuesday, the Eaton fire has exploded to more than 10,600 acres. Officials have confirmed that at least five people have died since fires began blazing across Los Angeles County, but suggest that the toll may be higher. “It’s absolutely horrifying,” Errico said of the fire’s wreckage. “When we were up there yesterday, after seeing what’s happened in Altadena…it’s like my heart’s broken.”