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“It’s catastrophic failure,” said Seriina Covarrubias, a west Altadena resident who has been advocating for better public resources and government representation for the town since even before the fire.

But for Covarrubias, this is an issue that has needed to be addressed for years, and was made devastatingly clear when her neighbors were left — literally — in the dark as the fire threatened their street.

Covarrubias, 42, along with her husband and their roommate, decided to leave on their own the evening of Jan. 7 before any evacuation alert.

“They got out just barely,” said Covarrubias, who is part of California Unincorporated, a group that works to improve how unincorporated areas are governed.

It’s exceptionally frustrating that no leader or agency has owned up to the evacuation failure — or provided an explanation — even now, more than three months after the fire, Covarrubias said.