City-wide emergency alert in Los Angeles sent in error to millions
"All LA County residents just received a wireless emergency alert about evacuations from the county. There are NO updated evacuations in Santa Monica. EVACUATIONS IN SANTA MONICA ARE UNCHANGED," the city of Santa Monica stated.
CAL FIRE provides an update on the California wildfires
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief David Acuña spoke about how CAL FIRE has been focused on life-saving, how recent the weather has increased the wildfire risk in Southern California and how the area's topography has contributed to the flames and challenges to the emergency response. Jan. 9, 2025.
LOS ANGELES- A city-wide emergency alert designed to be sent out to a limited population impacted by the Kenneth Fire that sparked Thursday was erroneously sent out to millions living in Los Angeles.
Just before 4 p.m. Thursday local time, cell phones rang out with emergency alert tones warning residents to evacuate – a mistake that county officials blamed on technical problems. Another message was sent out about 12 hours later Friday morning.
The message stated: "This is an emergency message from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area. Remain vigilant of any threats and be ready to evacuate. Gather loved ones, pets, and supplies. Continue to monitor local weather, news, and the webpage alert.org for more information."
Officials in jurisdictions around Los Angeles County immediately realized the mistake and began alerting citizens that the entire county was not under an evacuation notice.
"All LA County residents just received a wireless emergency alert about evacuations from the county. There are NO updated evacuations in Santa Monica. EVACUATIONS IN SANTA MONICA ARE UNCHANGED," the city of Santa Monica stated.
California emergency alert from January 9, 2025
(FOX Weather)
DEATHS FROM CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES EXPECTED TO INCREASE AS FIRES CONTINUE TO DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES
Minutes after the apparent mistake, officials sent a series of messages to cellphone users alerting them to the error and to disregard the original alert if not in the area of the Kenneth Fire, which was discovered near the West Hills neighborhood on Thursday afternoon.
City officials did not address the mistake during opening statements of a news conference that was held about an hour after the confusion. However, officials did address the situation during a news conference Friday.
"I want to restate that right now, as these alerts are being issued, they are not being activated or initiated by a person," L.A. County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan said.
FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres is in Southern California and was one of the millions who received the alert on her cell phone.
"It’s another reminder of what folks here are dealing with in Southern California," Torres posted on social media. "The fear of going to bed and not knowing that you may have to leave it any moment. The fear of being separated from your family and a fire breaks out. How would you get back to them? Of course, all of this as we have thousands of people either mourning the loss of loved ones, pets, property. Some have serious injuries. The trauma is deep."
At least six major fires are burning around Los Angeles County, which have damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures and caused several deaths.
Image showing the remnants of a neighborhood north of Los Angeles
(Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies / FOX Weather)
Authorities have not released the cause of the recent fires, but investigators will likely focus on utility lines and other human-related factors as they work to determine what triggered the blazes.
As firefighting efforts continue, officials warn that more fires are possible in the coming days, with conditions remaining dangerously dry and breezy.
How to help the victims of the California wildfires
FOX Corporation has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross’ California wildfires relief efforts and encourages everyone to donate to their relief efforts, as well.