Unexpected guest: How a California bear took shelter under a home after wildfires

A Southern California man returned to his home after evacuating due to last month's devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, only to find an unexpected guest beneath his house—a 525-pound male black bear.

Samy Arbid told CNN that he discovered the bear, named Barry, taking refuge under his house in Altadena, California, following the Eaton Fire, which destroyed over 14,000 acres and is among the state’s top three most damaging wildfires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Barry managed to survive the fire while hiding under Arbid's home, and a wildlife team had to get creative to safely lure him out.

Barry, known to the locals as a "chill" bear, had been a frequent visitor to the neighborhood. According to Arbid, he typically kept to himself. The only type of bear found in California is the black bear, as stated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Although Arbid and his wife had been warned about bears in the area, they never imagined one would be living under their house.

"We’d heard stories from neighbors about a big bear always showing up," Arbid said. "But no one knew that this bear was actually living under our house. It was a complete surprise."

The couple first heard strange noises from under their home and initially thought it was a small animal. However, what began as faint hissing soon revealed an astonishing sight.

"We thought it was an opossum or something," Arbid said. "But when we put a camera under there, we saw this huge bear."

While other residents evacuated the Altadena area, it seems that Barry decided to stay behind and shelter under the house, seemingly unaffected by the flames and smoke. A wildlife biologist explained to Arbid that the bear likely stayed put because once a bear finds a secure spot, nothing can convince them to leave.

"The smoke doesn't bother them," Arbid said. "If they feel safe in a place, they'll stay there no matter what."

Local gas and oil company SoCalGas refused to service Arbid’s home until the bear was no longer in the crawl space they needed to work in. Naturally, a bear wouldn’t exactly be the ideal coworker.

Until Barry was safely removed, Arbid and his wife couldn't restore power to their home, so they needed outside assistance to remove the bear quickly.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was responsible for the challenging task of removing the large bear from a confined space. The team was concerned about how Barry would react once he was brought out from under the house. Several cameras were placed in different positions to monitor the bear's behavior during the removal process.

Because of the bear's size, the team decided it would not be safe to use anesthesia to sedate him, as noted in a press release from the CDFW on January 29.

Wildlife biologist Kevin Howells and a team of eight wildlife employees spent almost 24 hours trying to remove Barry from the crawl space, according to the release.

Thanks to some ingenuity and the use of a rotisserie chicken, the team was able to successfully coax Barry out. They used a bear trap to safely secure him before beginning the relocation process.

Barry was given a health check, fitted with a GPS collar, and then released into the Angeles National Forest, the CDFW reported.