Tenants at Altadena apartment complex demand answers after Eaton Fire:' Protect our elders'

'Protect our elders': Tenants demand answers after Eaton Fire

Some elderly residents say they had to get out on their own during the Eaton Fire, and now they're back in apartments damaged by smoke. FOX 11's Gina Silva is live in Altadena with more.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Some residents at an Altadena apartment complex had to get out on their own during the devastating Eaton Fire and now they're back in apartments damaged by smoke. Tenants say management's not doing much to help. 

Residents were forced to save themselves

What we know:

Some of those residents were seriously injured as they were trying to escape by themselves, and many are still coping with the trauma and then to make matters worse. Some of the problems caused by that fire still haven’t been addressed.

Now, tenants rights activists demand accountability from the management and the owners of the Mirador apartment complex in Altadena. 

They allege elderly residents were left to fend for themselves during January’s Eaton Fire, and that some residents were in wheelchairs, while others used walkers. 

These seniors had to evacuate on their own. Law enforcement eventually arrived to help. 

Now, weeks later, tenants say management at the independent living community complex told them they could return despite serious problems inside the units. 

"Our apartments were full of smoke, full of soot, full of ash. My bed, all my linens and everything smelled like smoke," one resident told FOX 11. 

A union representative added, "These units were never properly remediated. Management has presented no plan to do that work."

The other side:

"Management followed all city and county protocols, both around the mandatory evacuations on January 8th and in ensuring the remediation necessary to confirm. Mirador units and common areas were safe and habitable," the Mirador Apartments issued a released statement.