On Thursday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unveiled a comprehensive after-action report regarding the catastrophic wildfires that erupted in January. This report focuses primarily on the county's alert notifications and evacuation policies during the Eaton and Palisades fires, which ignited on January 7. Commissioned by the Board and prepared by the McChrystal Group, the 132-page document highlights several systemic weaknesses rather than pinpointing a single point of failure in the county's emergency response.
The report reveals a range of issues, including outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and significant communication vulnerabilities. These shortcomings hampered the effectiveness of the county's response efforts to the wildfires. Additionally, the document notes that hurricane-force winds contributed to the challenges faced by frontline responders, grounding firefighting aircraft and causing widespread power outages.
While the report commends the decisive and heroic actions of the frontline responders, it underscores the urgent need for clearer policies, enhanced training, integrated tools, and improved public communication. One particularly concerning aspect highlighted in the report is the delayed evacuation orders for thousands of residents in west Altadena, who did not receive notifications until hours after flames had already been reported in the vicinity.
L.A. County's elected officials took time to address the findings of the report. District 5 Supervisor Kathryn Barger remarked, "This McChrystal Group report highlights the fact that we are not prepared if, God forbid, we have another emergency like this." During the wildfires, numerous complaints emerged from residents in the affected Eaton and Palisades fire zones, with many expressing frustration over either not receiving alerts or receiving too many alerts that included areas not directly impacted by the fires.
Tragically, 18 of the 19 fatalities linked to the Eaton Fire occurred on Altadena's westside, which is several miles from the fire's origin. The report indicates that the delay in evacuation orders for west Altadena cannot be attributed to a single point of failure. Instead, it points to issues related to interagency cooperation, outdated and inconsistent policies, and ambiguities surrounding evacuation authority and responsibilities.
The report recommends a series of improvements, including enhanced public communications, clearer policies, and stronger training initiatives. L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone acknowledged that while significant changes are already in progress, the unprecedented weather conditions that exacerbated the situation cannot be overlooked. "We are going to be better next time; however, this was hurricane-force winds that unfortunately had an associated fire," Marrone stated. "We will never have enough firefighters to have a truck in front of each person's house."
This after-action report represents just the first in a series of evaluations ordered by the county. A more in-depth discussion of the findings will take place at the upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting scheduled for Tuesday. It is also important to note that the report focuses solely on the actions of the county and does not encompass the city of Los Angeles, which faced its own controversies regarding the responses from Mayor Karen Bass and former L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley during the wildfires. The report reveals that city agencies opted to decline interviews for the county’s assessment.
The January wildfires left a devastating impact, resulting in 31 fatalities and the destruction of over 1,600 properties across Altadena, the Pacific Palisades, and parts of L.A., Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Malibu.
