A man from Southern California returned to his home after evacuating during the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area last month, only to discover an unexpected guest taking refuge beneath his house.
Samy Arbid told CNN that he found a 525-pound male black bear living under his Altadena, California, home after the Eaton Fire ravaged the area. The fire scorched over 14,000 acres and is ranked among the state's top three most destructive wildfires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The bear, affectionately known as "Barry" by local residents, survived the fire while hiding under Arbid's house. The wildlife team that was called in to safely lure Barry out had to come up with creative strategies to handle the situation.
Barry has been a familiar sight in the neighborhood for quite some time. Arbid described him as a “mellow” creature who usually keeps to himself, never causing trouble. "He's a regular visitor in the area," Arbid said, noting that he never expected the bear to take refuge under their home.
California is home to only one species of bear, the black bear, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Arbid and his wife had been warned about bears in the area but never anticipated such a close encounter. “We had heard from neighbors about a big bear that comes around often," Arbid shared. "But nobody knew the bear was actually living under our house. That was a surprise to everyone."
The couple first noticed strange noises coming from under the house and assumed it was likely a small animal. But what started as faint hisses and growls quickly escalated into an unexpected revelation. "We thought it was probably an opossum or something," Arbid said. "Sure enough, I put a camera under there, and we saw this huge bear."
While other residents evacuated Altadena, it seems that Barry decided to stay behind, seeking shelter under the home. Remarkably, the bear appeared to be undisturbed by the raging fire. Arbid mentioned that a wildlife biologist explained why Barry might have stayed put despite the smoke and flames.
“The smoke won’t deter them,” Arbid explained. “If they find a place they feel secure, nothing will deter them.”
However, the bear’s presence caused some complications for the Arbid family. SoCalGas, a local gas and oil company, refused to service the house until Barry was safely removed from the crawl space where the company needed to work. And understandably, a bear isn’t the best coworker.
Until the bear was removed, Arbid and his wife couldn't restore their power, meaning backup support was necessary to safely remove Barry in a timely manner.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) took on the challenging task of extracting the giant bear from the crawl space. CDFW employees were concerned about how Barry would react once he was coaxed out. Several cameras were set up to monitor his behavior during the removal process.
Due to Barry's large size, the wildfire team decided that using anesthesia to subdue the bear was not a viable option for his removal, according to a CDFW statement released on January 29.
Kevin Howells, a wildlife biologist with CDFW, led a team of eight wildlife employees who worked tirelessly for nearly 24 hours to remove Barry from beneath the house.
Despite the challenges, Barry was successfully removed from his unconventional shelter, and Arbid and his wife could finally restore their power and return to their routine. The bear, however, remains a legend in the neighborhood, having survived both the wildfire and his time living beneath a home in Altadena.
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