Anger after fire evacuation alert mistakenly sent to millions in LA

Residents were already at risk as more fires blazed across the Los Angeles area, traumatizing millions who feel there is no end in sight after four days.

Then on Thursday afternoon came another shock in the form of a text alert.

It was accidentally sent to every cell phone in the county – where about 10 million people live – warning them that the fire was close and that they should prepare to evacuate.

Rebecca Alvarez-Petit was on a video work call when her phone started ringing.

“An evacuation warning has been issued for your area,” the text message said.

The sound echoed around him as each of his coworkers received the same shocking message.

“It was like a massive panic that I was watching in real time,” she said.

He and colleagues began researching and trying to see if they were in imminent danger.

Immediate relief came in the form of a revised warning asking them to ignore the warning, but it soon gave rise to new anger, he said.

“We are all worried and anxious, sitting near our phones, watching TV, playing the radio – trying to stay as informed as possible because there was no good system in place,” Ms Alvarez said. -Petit, who lives in West Los Angeles.

“And then this. It’s like – you’ve got to be kidding me.”

The death toll due to forest fire is continuously increasing and at least 10 people have died and this number may increase.

For many, concerns about saving lives and property have turned into a sense of frustration about dealing with the fire.

Officials have acknowledged some complaints, ranging from dry hydrants hindering firefighting efforts to questions about preparedness and firefighting investments.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass returned to the city from a planned trip to Africa to find it on fire. He faced intense questions Thursday about the region’s preparedness, his leadership in the crisis and water issues that have thwarted firefighters.

“Was I disappointed by it? Certainly,” Mayor Bass said, responding to a question about water issues and whether the area was adequately prepared. He said it was an “unprecedented incident”.

Like other officials, he emphasized that the fire was able to spread Tuesday because of high winds — the same winds that prevent planes from dropping water or fire retardant on the blaze. He said city water systems and neighborhood fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish thousands of acres of blazes.

He said there would be a review of how the incident unfolded and an inquiry into how officials and agencies handled it.

He said, “When lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will definitely evaluate to see what worked, what did not work, and correct any body, department, individual.” Or to hold accountable.”

“Right now my focus is on life and homes.”

The unfolding disaster poses a need to understand why it happened and how it turned into the most devastating fire in Los Angeles history.

As one of five fires burning in Los Angeles County approached Larry Wilkes’ home Tuesday, he picked up the only tool he had — a garden hose.

He and his neighbor made quick work of burning the embers and grass that had fallen on their homes from the Eaton fire.

Then the tube dried up.

He watched his neighbors’ house burn in Altadena. Then there was a huge explosion – a nearby house caught fire and it seemed as if there had been an explosion. He had to leave.

As he drove away, he saw that fire had engulfed his garage.

“If we had water pressure, we would have been able to fight it,” Mr. Wilkes said, standing in front of the charred remains of his home.

He remembered seeing firefighters that night – while the community was burning – sitting in their trucks, unable to help.

“I remember my anger. It was like ‘do something’, but they can’t – there’s no water pressure,” he said. “This is infuriating. How could this happen?”

Some experts have said that water shortages are due to unprecedented demand, not mismanagement.

“The problem is that the scope of the disaster is so broad that thousands of firefighters and hundreds of fire engines are dealing with water,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the California Institute for Water Resources, told the BBC.

“After all, only so much water can flow through the pipes at one time.”

Other neighbors shared their sentiment that the state was unprepared despite seeing devastating fires on a regular basis.

Hipólito Cisneros, surveying the remains of his now-destroyed home, said public utilities in the area have needed upgrades for years.

“We’ve lived here for 26 years and we’ve never seen it tested,” he says of the fire hydrant at the end of his block.

Down the street, Fernando Gonzalez helped his brother remove debris from a 15-year-old home.

He noted that his own home in Santa Clarita — which is about 45 minutes from Los Angeles County — is also being threatened by wildfires.

“We’re on high alert right now,” he said. “It’s all around us, you know.”