With storms brewing in next week's forecast, Arcadia city officials scrambled Thursday to arrange a meeting with residents and survey homes vulnerable to mudslides from the charred slopes of the Angeles National Forest.
Firefighters rescued a 7-year old boy from an upstairs bedroom as fire engulfed the home at 70 W. Las Flores Ave. They were unable to save a man and woman inside the house, who were found dead.
A blaze that gutted a house at 78 W. Las Flores early Saturday morning appears to have started accidentally. The blaze left a man and a woman dead, and a 7 year old boy in critical condition.
The family of John Chan has sued the City of Arcadia, three of its police officers, and Lisa Welchert, the driver of the car that killed Chan last February 9.
City Councilman Gino Roncelli, who was named last year to the board of directors of Santa Anita Park, will also join the board of the race track's parent company, MI Entertainment Corp.
Arcadia Police Officer Sharleen Wilson, a 16-year department veteran, is suing the Police Department and City Hall for alleged sexual discrimination and harassment.
After months of preparation and more than $300,000 expenditures in the aftermath of the Santa Anita II fires that diverted a wall of mud from homes, the fire-ravaged hillside seemed to be holding despite the rain storms.
The city's efforts to save homes beneath the fire-ravaged hillsides from a flood of mud and debris have been praised, but mud and debris are still flowing onto Highland Vista, Monte Place, Vista and Santa Anita Avenues.
Public Services Director Pat Malloy met with the Highland Homeowners Association to update the residents on the work that has been done after the fire that denuded the hillsides above their homes.
The City Council reviews changes that would allow Santa Anita Park race track to operate the Frontrunner Restaurant and big screen TV year around and to allow for satellite TV wagering until 1:30 a.m. seven days a week.