Vandalism Compounds Internet Woes For Fire-Damaged Altadena Neighborhoods

Altadena residents already struggling with internet service disruptions from January’s Eaton Fire faced new outages Sunday when vandals cut Spectrum fiber optic lines in Van Nuys, affecting more than 25,000 customers across Los Angeles County.

The attack highlights escalating telecommunications infrastructure vandalism particularly impacting Altadena, where crime has surged 250% following the fire that killed 18 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

“These acts of vandalism are not only a crime, but also affect our customers, local businesses and potentially emergency services,” Spectrum said in a statement following the June 15 incident.

Vandals severed fiber lines in multiple Van Nuys locations before dawn, leaving cut wires scattered after discovering the lines contained no copper. Customer reports began flooding DownDetector.com at 3 a.m. Pacific Time.

Altadena has become a particular target for metal thieves since the fire. Property crimes spiked 450% from January through April 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department data. Burglary rates specifically increased 400%.

The community now averages more than 40 home burglaries monthly, compared to six before the fire. In April, Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested 15 people for allegedly stealing hundreds of pounds of copper, metal wiring and piping from fire-damaged neighborhoods.

“They’re happening at all hours of the day, but we believe most of them are occurring at night after the sun goes down,” Lieutenant Ethan Márquez said regarding theft patterns.

“These people are so bad that they would steal copper from burned-out homes and burglarize homes of the people who are still left living here,” said Márquez, acting captain of the Sheriff’s Department’s Altadena station.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has assigned 19 additional deputies to patrol Altadena, nearly tripling its presence, and is installing license plate reading cameras throughout the community. The National Guard also remains deployed for security assistance.

Despite security challenges, Spectrum said it has restored service to more than 75% of affected homes in fire areas and replaced more than 100 miles of network lines.

Spectrum is offering a $25,000 reward for information about the Van Nuys vandalism. Anyone with information can contact Spectrum at (833) 404-TIPS(8477) or local law enforcement.