Altadena man Samy Arbid was among the lucky ones after the Eaton Fire, when he returned to find his home had been spared. He did, however, have an unusual new housemate, in the shape of a massive bear that had sought refuge in his crawlspace.A California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) team resorted to using treats to
lure the 525-pound bear away from his new home, after they said the “utility company informed the resident that power couldn’t be restored, as there was a bear under the home where the company needed to work.”“I think during the fire he pretty much stayed there. I think he was scared,” Arbid
told local media, who said the bear normally lived in Eaton Canyon, where the wildfire started.The CDFW said that given the size of the bear, it rapidly became clear that “chemical immobilization” was “not an option”.Instead, they set up a feast of rotisserie chicken, sardines, tomato sauce, apples and peanut butter to lure the big boy into a trap.Security footage provided to Storyful by Arbid shows the moment the bear’s massive head poked out of the crawl space, lured by the wildlife team’s feast.The bear was trapped and taken to Angeles National Forest. It got a welfare check, a GPS collar, and was measured before being safely released.As for the home, Arbid was quick to bear-proof it, with the crawl space securely
boarded up. Credit: Samy Arbid via Storyful