LOS ANGELES (AP) — An outside review of Los Angeles County’s response to January’s deadly wildfires found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delays in warning residents about the need to evacuate as flames consumed neighborhoods in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
The Independent After-Action Report, produced by the consulting firm McChrystal Group, was commissioned by county supervisors just weeks after the Eaton and Palisades fires killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes in highly dense areas of Los Angeles County.
Released Thursday, the report cites a series of weaknesses, including outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and communications vulnerabilities, that hampered the effectiveness of the county’s response. The Associated Press found that some residents did not receive emergency alerts until well after homes went up in flames.
The report also cited critical staffing shortages, including a high number of sheriff’s deputy vacancies and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management. Furthermore, first responders struggled to share real-time information due to unreliable cellular connectivity and inconsistent field reporting methods.
“While frontline responders acted decisively and, in many cases, heroically, in the face of extraordinary conditions, the events underscored the need for clearer policies, stronger training, integrated tools, and improved public communication,” the report states.
It is not intended to assign blame, county officials emphasized in a news release. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to review the 133-page report during its meeting next Tuesday.
The causes of the two fires are still under investigation, amid similar past reports that have highlighted alert system issues in other California wildfires.
