Investigation into delayed evacuation warnings in Los Angeles fire
An investigation by the Los Angeles Times has raised questions about the delay in issuing evacuation warnings to residents in areas affected by the fire.
Residents west of Lake Avenue in Altadena did not receive an electronic evacuation warning until hours after the Eaton Canyon fire broke out at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, despite the fire spreading rapidly due to strong Santa Ana winds, according to a Jan. 21 report. By 3:25 a.m. the next morning, several homes in the area had burned to the ground.
The Eaton Fire, now nearly 90 percent contained, has burned more than 22 square miles and destroyed nearly 9,500 structures. All 17 deaths have been reported west of Lake Avenue.
Los Angeles County emergency officials declined to provide details of the evacuation process, which they described as a coordinated, unified command involving police, firefighters and other agencies. The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management said the evacuation process included a variety of methods, including door-to-door calls, loudspeaker announcements and use of local media. The office stressed that wireless emergency alerts, which allow authorities to send text messages to residents’ cell phones to warn them of a dangerous situation, were just one part of a multilayered notification system.
Los Angeles authorities have pledged to conduct a full review of actions related to the fire, according to an investigative report by the Los Angeles Times.