Officials considered warning Altadena before Eaton fire, but no alert was sent

"Almost two hours before the Eaton fire broke out, Los Angeles County emergency management officials had been pushed to send out an emergency alert to warn residents that increasingly high winds would pose a significant risk. But no such alert was sent."

"The residents of west Altadena did not receive an emergency alert until 3:30 a.m. the next day, nine hours after the fire started - and almost 12 hours after an emergency management employee urged a prefire alert."

"In the wake of the January firestorm, the idea of prefire alerts during dangerous conditions is getting more attention as officials grapple with how to better prepare communities."

"L.A. County's Office of Emergency Management defended its decision not to send out a prefire wireless emergency alert, saying it was not warranted before the fire started."

The Eaton fire in the San Gabriel foothills began on January 7, 2025, but residents did not receive an emergency alert until 3:30 a.m. the next day. A prefire alert was suggested hours before the fire started due to high winds, which posed a significant risk. Most of the fire's 19 fatalities occurred in west Altadena. The L.A. County Office of Emergency Management stated that a prefire alert was not warranted, despite the increasing focus on improving community preparedness for fire weather conditions.

Read at Los Angeles Times