The iconic Rose Bowl Stadium, known for its New Year’s Day football games and superstar-headlined concerts, has transformed into a lifeline for thousands of first responders and displaced families in the wake of the devastating Eaton Fire.
More than 4,000 first responders are on-site, including 3,400 firefighters and 600 additional personnel, as the stadium has become the heart of the firefighting effort. Teams from across California and as far as South America have worked tirelessly to combat the fire, whose devastation has been staggering. Nearly 10,000 structures in Altadena and 170 in Pasadena are destroyed or severely damaged.
“This has become a small city,” Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino said of the stadium’s grounds, including its many parking lots and tailgating areas. “It’s pretty incredible that six days after arguably the biggest college football game in the country [on Jan. 1], this place turns into an emergency response incident command.”
Cal Fire, which was among the first to arrive when the fires began, has set up camp alongside local and international crews.
The site also houses paramedics, search-and-rescue teams, National Guard members, FEMA personnel, FBI agents, therapists and support crews to create a robust and multi-faceted response network. It even has its own temporary McDonald’s.
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