Who is Edgar McGregor? Climate scientist hailed a hero over saving hundreds with early Eaton fire warning

Much before Southern California was engulfed in fire, a local Altadena climate scientist named Edgar McGregor warned his community and saved their lives. According to his Facebook profile, McGregor is the admin of a Facebook page named Altadena Weather and Climate. He posts weather updates for his community on the group and warns them against dangerous climatic conditions.

His Facebook profile confirms that McGregor attended La Salle High School and later studied at Pasadena City College. He has been studying at San Jose State University since 2021. McGregor has also interned at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

On January 7, the day the LA Wildfire started, McGregor warned the locals in Altadena about the extreme weather conditions that could cause a fire.

Edgar McGregor reported how the dry winds around the city may result in a deadly fire; he also warned everyone to follow a few measures:

"Do NOT park your car underneath a tree on Tuesday night. Do NOT sleep underneath a tree on Tuesday night. Clean out all gutters to prevent wildfires from setting your home on fire. Bring in cushions, lights, patio T.V.s, holiday decorations, sails, or anything that can be damaged in a powerful windstorm. Do NOT drive over downed powerlines. If you live beside Eaton Canyon, please turn on your sprinklers to moisten the hillside below as I noticed some of you do during red flag events."

In another post, he warned the residents that a bigger fire was expected in the area.

"This morning, the pre-game round of winds are showing up quite a bit stronger than I expected. I hope by now everyone is paying attention, and I am glad this happened to snag the hold-outs. Forecast models did well here, but it is difficult to get two nights in a row of strong winds and I was skeptical," he wrote.

Edgar McGregor lauded for warning his community about the fire at the right time

Edgar McGregor is being lauded by the community for saving hundreds of lives. While speaking with People Magazine, McGregor said he is unable to process how much he is being credited for saving lives.

"I didn't run into a burning building and get third-degree burns trying to save someone's life. So people are sending me all these comments and I'm thinking to myself, I just did my job."

He further revealed how he speculated a fire would break by the end of December last year.

"I knew on Dec. 30th that when this windstorm hit, the conditions would be carbon copies of the conditions that were on the ground in Lahaina, Hawaii, and in Paradise, which both were completely leveled and lost around a hundred people each."

He also told people that if a fire breaks out in the state, hundreds of houses will be destroyed, and the conditions will be "cataclysmic."

While being hailed as a local hero, Edgar McGregor has confirmed that he would continue to do his bit for the community.