No blame cited in late Eaton fire evacuation alerts

Report notes poor communication among officials and chaotic conditions.

- TERRY CASTLEMAN, REBECCA ELLIS AND GRACE TOOHEY

ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times THE REPORT found Los Angeles County had no clear process for who should issue evacuation orders.

Poor communication, understaffing, a lack of adequate planning and chaotic conditions contributed to a failure to issue timely evacuation orders to parts of Altadena as the deadly Eaton fire raced through the community, according to a long-awaited report released Thursday.

The report did not assign blame to individuals for the botched alerts, but found Los Angeles County had no clear process for who should issue evacuation orders and called for significant reforms. Nineteen people died in the fire, all but one of whom was found in west Altadena, an area that did not get evacuation alerts until hours after the fire threatened the area.

However, the 132-page report seemed to downplay how early the fire threatened west Altadena — despite 911 calls that reported flames and smoke in the area.

Instead, it focused on the fire’s “perfect storm,” officials’ poor preparation and the fact that the satellite-outlined “fire front” hadn't entered west Altadena until 5 a.m. — nearly two hours after evacuation alerts were issued.

But those alerts came hours after several spot fires were confirmed in the area and well after some fire officials pointed out the area was at risk.

The independent investigation by consulting firm McChrystal Group released eight months after the Los Angeles-area firestorm — was commissioned by the county after The Times revealed that the county failed to issue timely evacuation alerts in west Altadena.

“This McChrystal group report highlights the fact that we are not prepared if, God forbid, we have another emergency like this," said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, at a news conference about the report's release.