Upon returning to his home in Southern California following devastating wildfires, a resident encountered an unexpected visitor: a massive black bear weighing 525 pounds.

Samy Arbid, who lives in Altadena, along with his neighbors, had evacuated their properties due to the Eaton Fires. Upon their return, he discovered a bear that had sought refuge in his crawl space to escape the flames, as reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in a Jan. 29 Facebook post. The bear, described as a “huge, 525-pound adult male,” was located by a utility crew sent to restore power.

“I think he stayed there during the fire because he was frightened,” Arbid told local news outlets, according to Storyful, expressing his disbelief over the bear’s presence in the crawl space. This bear, referred to as Barry, is already familiar to locals who have seen him in the area, reported ABC7.

As per local media, Barry was already in the crawl space before the fires began, and Arbid had been planning a method to remove him.

Caught on video: the bear exits the home

“After evaluating the situation, it was evident that using chemical immobilization on the bear wasn’t feasible,” CDFW noted, explaining that their team, guided by CDFW environmental scientist Kevin Howells, decided that setting a bear trap near the crawl space entrance was the most effective option.

Thankfully, shortly after the trap was placed, the bear came out and activated the trap door just minutes later, CDFW stated. Once caught, the bear was transported to Angeles National Forest, where it received a health check and a GPS collar before being safely released back into its natural habitat just after midnight.

Footage from the homeowner’s security camera showed the bear emerging from the crawl space when it detected food laid out by the department. These treats included apples, peanut butter, sardines in tomato sauce, chicken, and butterscotch lure, as mentioned by a CDFW spokesperson to YSL News.

The entire operation required almost 24 hours of work from Howells and his eight-member team, CDFW reported.

Crawl space now bear-proof

Meanwhile, the homeowner’s utilities have been restored, and the “crawl space has been securely boarded up and is now bear-proof,” CDFW mentioned, encouraging residents living in bear-prone areas to use bear-proof materials to seal crawl spaces to stop bears from nesting there and causing damage.

The CDFW also recommends that homeowners contact them if they discover a bear in a crawl space. This way, wildlife professionals can assess the situation and provide advice on how homeowners can deter bears from entering these spaces and securely seal entrances post-removal.

California wildfires are under control

The Eaton and Palisades fires, which ignited last month, have been fully contained after wreaking havoc across the Los Angeles region, as per Cal Fire.

These fires began on Jan. 7 during an unprecedented wind event, impacting areas such as Pacific Palisades and Altadena, leading to 29 fatalities, burning over 37,000 acres (or 57.8 square miles), and causing extensive damage to homes and lives.

These incidents are under investigation and are recognized as the second and third most destructive wildfires in California’s history, according to Cal Fire.

Contributing: James Powel, YSL News

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter. Follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.