May 14, 2025

The January 2025 Eaton Fire struck in the wake of demographic changes and intensifying gentrification pressures in Altadena, California. According to Compounding Disaster: A Spatial Analysis of Housing Risk and Speculation in Post-Fire Altadena, a new report from SAJE, the impact of the fire may be worse for some residents who are now more susceptible to predatory speculation and permanent displacement.

According to the report, rising housing costs and the lack of affordable options were already displacing long-standing renters and homeowners in Altadena. The report found this displacement was racialized: tracts in western Altadena, historically home to one of the largest communities of Black homeowners in Los Angeles County, saw a 20% decline in BIPOC residents between 2015 and 2023.

“This erosion is particularly concerning because Altadena has historically been one of the few places where Black families could buy homes and build generational wealth, even as they continued to face discrimination and structural barriers,” says Alex Ferrer, SAJE policy analyst and a co-author of the report.

The authors also found that, following the Eaton Fire, corporate acquisition of land accelerated in Altadena. Nearly half of the 94 post-fire sales from February 11 to April 30, 2025, were to corporate entities; during the same period the year prior, only 5 of 95 sales were to corporate buyers. The post-fire sales show notable concentrations in areas that overlap with tracts identified as already experiencing gentrification pressure and redevelopment potential. 

“We’re very concerned that Altadena residents who were struggling with housing before the Eaton Fire will be taken advantage of by predatory corporate investors,” said Iris Craige, SAJE assistant director of policy and advocacy and a co-author of the report. “In other post-disaster areas in the United States, we’ve seen investors take advantage of sellers who may feel scared or overwhelmed at the prospect of rebuilding, by undervaluing their land.”

Click here to read the full report.