"On Jan. 7, a series of fires broke out amid extreme red flag conditions, overwhelming first responders and residents. Thousands of homes were destroyed. In the aftermath, a Times investigation revealed that neighborhoods in west Altadena, which was under siege from the Eaton fire, did not get evacuation warnings for hours after the fire started and well after some blocks were burning."
"Despite emergency dispatchers receiving at least 14 reports of fire in the area at the time, according to county records, the investigation confirmed that between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Jan. 8, the county did not send out any evacuation alerts - including to west Altadena. The report said that at that time, "all areas [L.A. county fire officials] believed were directly impacted by or at risk from the Eaton Fire had already received an evacuation warning or order.""
"The report released Thursday attempts to explain how things went awry. It did not blame specific individuals - something residents demanded - but did outline systemic failures involving multiple agencies. Multiple L.A. city agencies declined to sit down for interviews, the report states. In the end, the report - by consulting firm McChrystal Group - confirms Times reporting from the last few months rather than uncovers any major revelations. But some questions remain: Whose duty was it to issue more alerts and why exactly did they not?"
On Jan. 7 a series of fires amid extreme red-flag conditions overwhelmed first responders and residents across Los Angeles County, destroying thousands of homes and killing 31 people. Neighborhoods in west Altadena, under siege from the Eaton Fire, did not receive evacuation warnings for hours while some blocks were burning; most deaths occurred there. A McChrystal Group investigation found systemic failures across multiple agencies, outdated policies, and unclear authority over issuing evacuation orders and warnings. Between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Jan. 8 the county did not send evacuation alerts to affected areas. Several city agencies declined interviews.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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