LA County Officials Investigate Emergency Alert System After Fatal Wildfires
A deadly wildfire in Los Angeles County has sparked a call for an independent investigation into the emergency alert system used to warn residents to evacuate. The Eaton Fire, which started on January 7, resulted in 17 fatalities in the western Altadena neighborhood, where many residents did not receive evacuation orders or alerts in time.
According to a Los Angeles Times review, some residents in western Altadena did not receive electronic evacuation orders until several hours after the fire erupted, and some neighborhoods never received evacuation warnings. The delay in evacuation orders raises concerns about the effectiveness of the county’s emergency response system.
County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath have introduced a motion to retain a consultant to review the evacuation policies and emergency alert notification systems utilized by the county and its partners in responding to the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
Mark Douglas, a resident of the western Altadena neighborhood, said he and his neighbors did not receive red (mandatory evacuation) alerts before the flames approached their homes. "None of us got a red alert before we felt ready to leave our houses," he said. "You know, we felt heat and fire and that trumps any alert. So a lot of us gave up on the alert system at that point."
Douglas and his partner were fortunate to evacuate with their pets and three horses before the arrival of official evacuation orders from the county, but many of their older neighbors were not. "They’re not tech savvy. They’re not mobile," he said.
The county’s Coordinated Joint Information Center said that while it cannot comment on all factors leading to the tragic loss of life, it will conduct a comprehensive third-party evaluation of all response efforts once the immediate wildfire crisis has passed.
The investigation comes as many residents in western Altadena are left to grapple with the aftermath of the fire, including the loss of their homes and loved ones.
