An Altadena homeowner discovered a large black bear living in the crawl space under his house, a vivid reminder that wildfire-displaced wildlife and suburban edges are colliding more often. The situation raises questions about public safety, wildlife behavior after habitat loss, and practical ways to evict a determined animal without making things worse. Local history of recent fires and past incidents gives context to why a bear might seek shelter under a home. Below I walk through the facts, witness remarks, and sensible precautions for a homeowner facing an unwelcome, strong, and persistent tenant.
Ken Johnson, a 63-year-old Altadena resident, found evidence of an animal under his house and installed a surveillance camera in June. Nothing showed up on the camera for months until last week, when footage captured a black bear emerging from the crawl space. Johnson now faces the practical difficulty of persuading the bear to leave while keeping himself and neighbors safe.
Ken Johnson, 63, just got a new roommate last week — a black bear living in the crawl space under his home in Southern California.
The bear was seen on video footage clambering out from beneath his house Tuesday. He had installed a camera near the space back in June when he saw what looked like damage caused by an animal.
Nothing showed up on the camera until last week. And now he’s trying to figure out how to make it leave.
Mr. Johnson described the animal as “a huge bear,” roughly as tall as a table and larger than the trash bins outside his home. That kind of size is not just intimidating; it’s dangerous. A bear that chooses a den site under a structure has already shown it can manipulate tight spaces and will likely defend that territory if startled or threatened.
There’s a local backstory that helps explain the bear’s presence. Earlier this year, the Eaton Fire swept through areas north of Los Angeles, devastating neighborhoods and the Angeles National Forest. The fire killed people, destroyed structures, and stripped wildlife of food and shelter, forcing animals to search urban and suburban areas for new refuges and resources.
Shortly after the fire, at least two bears were found taking refuge in people’s evacuated homes in Altadena. State officials removed a massive, 525-pound (240-kilogram) adult male bear from a crawl space under a man’s home in January because utility crews could not get in to restore his power.
A 525-pound male bear removed earlier in the year shows how big and formidable these animals can be. That example is a warning: attempts to confront or handle a denning bear without specialists are likely to escalate into harm for people or for the animal. Black bears are opportunistic and clever; if they find a sheltered spot with little disturbance, they may keep returning.
Practical options are limited for a homeowner. Waiting for the bear to leave while it forages can work if access can be secured quickly once it’s out, but bears return to familiar den sites. Securing the crawl space when the animal is absent is tricky and risky; a trapped or surprised bear can panic and cause severe structural damage or injure anyone nearby.
In many parts of the country, hunters or landowners might treat a nuisance bear differently, but California’s policies, public attitudes, and legal frameworks generally steer responses toward relocation or wildlife service intervention. That leaves homeowners to balance patience with immediacy and to seek trained help rather than improvising a hazardous eviction plan.
When wildlife is displaced by disasters like wildfire, communities face repeated surprises: animals turn up in garages, attics, and under homes. That reality calls for better coordination between residents, fire recovery efforts, and wildlife professionals so that displaced animals are handled humanely and hazards to people are minimized. For now, the Altadena case is a stark example of how wild animals adapt to human spaces when their habitats are gone or altered.
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