525-pound bear rescued from underneath evacuated Altadena home

A 525-pound bear was found in a crawl space beneath an Altadena home that had been evacuated during the Eaton fire, according to wildlife officials.

Kevin Howells, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, spent nearly a day leading a rescue team’s successful effort to remove the bear safely from the home, the state agency posted on social media Thursday. The agency did not specify the date of the rescue.

The homeowner had evacuated during the fire and once they returned, the electric company informed the resident that the home’s power could not be turned back on until the bear was removed from the crawl space, where its repair crew needed to work, according to the post.

Howells and his team set up a trap near the crawl space opening and the bear eventually walked into it and triggered the trap door, wildlife officials said. The bear was then transported to Angeles National Forest, where officials conducted a welfare check and attached a GPS collar to the animal before releasing it into the wild.

“In the foothills of bear country, it’s important to close crawl spaces with bear-proof material in advance of winter months to discourage bears from denning and damaging property,” the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.