Samy Arbid thought evacuating his Altadena home during the raging Eaton fire was stressful enough. Little did he know, a surprise 525-pound tenant would be waiting for him upon his return.
When the HVAC engineer first moved into the house in November, strange clanking sounds beneath the master bedroom alerted him, his wife, and their dogs that they weren’t alone. To Arbid’s shock, a massive black bear had apparently claimed the crawlspace first while the home sat vacant.
Animal control and wildlife officials confirmed the bear’s presence but initially said there was nothing they could do to assist the new homeowner in evicting the furry squatter, whom neighbors had affectionately named “Beary” after feeding him for years.
A Sudden and Forced Cohabitation
Despite his startling size, Beary proved surprisingly stealthy. Arbid noted the bear could enter and exit the crawlspace rather quietly, only occasionally bumping into a pipe and setting off the family dogs as he likely departed for a midnight snack.
This forced the Arbids to abandon their bedroom, opting to sleep with their pets in the den instead. Although the California Department of Fish and Wildlife states dangerous black bear encounters are uncommon, the animals can be unpredictable.
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An Unexpected Wildfire Evacuation
With the bear issue unresolved, the Eaton fire suddenly threatened and the Arbid family was forced to evacuate. They could only wonder what would become of their ursine housemate.
Beary’s fate took an ironic twist when Arbid learned that utility workers couldn’t restore his gas service due to the bear blocking access. However, this finally compelled wildlife officials to intervene since Arbid’s home now sat within an emergency recovery zone.
Luring a Hungry Bear to Freedom
The wildlife department devised a creative plan to tempt the bear from its refuge using a rather extensive menu of treats. Kevin Howells, an environmental scientist, secured rotisserie chicken, sardines, and peanut butter-covered apples to entice Beary into a trap.
As Howells set everything in place, Beary’s curiosity and appetite quickly got the best of him:
“Within minutes of placing the trap, the bear came out of the crawlspace, walked in and triggered the trap door. The bear was transported in the trap into Angeles National Forest and given a welfare check, GPS-collared, and measured before being safely released just after midnight.”
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Instagram
While Arbid’s home was spared the flames, his unorthodox evacuation story highlights the broader impact of intensifying wildfires on California’s wildlife. As animals like Beary seek shelter from the smoke and heat, they are increasingly crossing paths with humans in unimaginable, and sometimes disconcerting, ways.
In the end, both the Arbid family and their surprise house guest escaped the fire unscathed, if a little shaken. And although their cohabitation was tense and short-lived, the tale of Beary the Bear’s incredible home invasion and evacuation will likely be shared for generations to come.
