Source: Mario Tama / GettyLast year, California’s Eaton Fire killed 19 people and decimated the historically Black neighborhood of Altadena. A year and a half after the fire started, officials in California have finally identified the source of the fire. The Eaton Fire started on Jan. 7, 2025, killing 19 people, destroying over 9,000 buildings, and causing $164 billion in property damage. While the Eaton Fire occurred due to malfunctioning equipment, authorities alleged that Jonathan Rinderknecht was responsible for the Palisades Fire. A historically Black community was devastated, and it will likely never return to the beacon of Black homeownership that it once represented.