Los Angeles County’s outdated policies were found to have caused delays in emergency public alerts during the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires that broke out in January, according to an independent report received by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on September 29.
At the board’s weekly meeting on September 30, emotional testimonies from disaster victims were heard, including concerns about delayed evacuation orders for residents in the western Altadena area during the Eaton fire, which claimed at least 17 lives.
The independent review conducted by McChrystal Group, based in Virginia and commissioned by the county board, highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of Los Angeles County’s emergency response system in the aftermath of the January 2025 wildfires.
While frontline responders showed courage and swift action in extreme conditions, the wildfires exposed the need for clearer policies, improved training, integrated tools, and enhanced public communication mechanisms.
Following the disasters, a thorough review of the county’s alert and evacuation measures was initiated. The Palisades and Eaton fires tragically claimed the lives of 31 individuals and destroyed over 16,000 structures. The “After-Action Review” was submitted by the review team on September 25.
The report identified weaknesses in the county’s emergency alert system, including outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and communication gaps that led to unclear evacuation responsibilities.
The response in the celebrity-populated Pacific Palisades community during the Palisades fire was deemed more effective, with the fire erupting during the day. Good interdepartmental coordination, pre-deployed resources, and tested evacuation strategies played positive roles. However, the situations in the Altadena and Pasadena areas to the east of Los Angeles were starkly different.
“The Eaton fire erupted during the night amidst strong winds and power outages,” the report stated. “This fire occurred in a community unfamiliar with wildfire risks and lacking aerial reconnaissance and firefighting support at the time.”
The report also noted that some Altadena residents reported not receiving any evacuation alerts before the fire spread to their neighborhoods, causing confusion and panic as many evacuated residents barely had time to gather essential items. Power outages further hindered residents’ ability to receive warning messages.
The report highlighted unclear decision-making roles, undefined responsibilities for early public messaging, and a lack of standardized communication among agencies at multiple fire scenes. These issues resulted in inconsistent response strategies among agencies and “hampered collaborative efforts.” The report outlined inadequacies in training, improper allocation of manpower and resources, and lack of inter-agency coordination in response to the Eaton fire.
The impacts of equipment and manpower shortages were further magnified in this extreme situation.
During the board meeting on September 30, county officials questioned representatives from the McChrystal Group, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, and Emergency Management Office Director Kevin McGowan in response to the report findings.
Approximately 20 fire departments in the Altadena area proactively assisted in the investigation, although some law enforcement agencies refused to cooperate. Los Angeles Mayor Kathryn Barger expressed dissatisfaction, stating, “This is unacceptable in my view, and I will request explanations from the leaders of these departments as to why they refused to participate in the investigation.”
The Eaton fire broke out on January 7 at 6:18 p.m. According to the report, the first evacuation order in the western Altadena area was not issued until around 3:25 a.m. on January 8, nearly 8-9 hours after the initial fire report, with at least 15 fatalities in the region. Another area received an evacuation order at 5:42 a.m., resulting in at least two more deaths.
Fire Chief Marrone explained that with multiple fires breaking out simultaneously, firefighting personnel and commanders faced “serious challenges,” as time was needed to confirm the direction and conditions of the Eaton fire, leading to delays in issuing evacuation orders. He refuted claims that “only one fire truck was available in the area,” stating that law enforcement and firefighting personnel worked throughout the night to evacuate and rescue residents.
Sheriff Luna added that county officers had entered the western Altadena area before the official evacuation order was issued, advising residents to evacuate as early as possible.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, representing the Palisades fire-affected region, expressed discontent with the report’s omission of certain facts, including a false evacuation alert initially targeting residents of the San Fernando Valley but mistakenly sent countywide, causing confusion.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan on September 30 to immediately implement the recommendations outlined in the report, including updating outdated and conflicting policies and procedures, as well as enhancing overall preparedness and efficiency in emergency response.
Supervisors also mentioned considering expanding the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Office and potentially elevating it to an independent department. “The value of this report lies in the subsequent actions,” Horvath stated in a press release.