Mistaken evacuation alert sent to all Los Angeles residents amid new brush fire

An evacuation warning was mistakenly sent to nearly 10 million Los Angeles residents amid a new brush fire affecting the area. L.A. County officials later confirmed that the alert was intended only for the area surrounding Woodland Hills.

“This is an emergency message from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area,” read the alert sent across the entire Los Angeles area on Thursday afternoon. “Remain vigilant of any threats and be ready to evacuate. Gather loved ones, pets, and supplies.”

The alert was later corrected, with the L.A. City Emergency Management Department clarifying, “Recent Ready LA County alert to evacuate was sent in ERROR,” and instructing residents to “Disregard last EVACUATION WARNING.” Officials added that the warning was meant exclusively for the Kenneth Fire.

An additional statement was issued later by Los Angeles County Information Center, indicating that the alert was “issued to nearly 10 million County residents along with some residents of neighboring counties”

The alerts were heard live during broadcasts on KNBC and KABC, with a KNBC presenter receiving a live audio alert on his phone and the KABC aerial reporter being interrupted while covering the Kenneth Fire.

The Kenneth Fire has prompted mandatory evacuations in the Woodland Hills and West Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles, with evacuation orders and warnings extending as far as Agoura Hills near Ventura County.