California wildfire report points to lack of resources and outdated policies

The fires in January took the lives of 30 people and burned down thousands of homes in and around Los Angeles.

A lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings during deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires in January, according to an outside review.The Independent After-Action Report produced by the consulting firm McChrystal Group was commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors just weeks after the Eaton and Palisades fires killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes in and around Pacific Palisades and Altadena.The report released Thursday says a series of weaknesses, including “outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities,” hampered the county’s response.Interviews with survivors and an analysis of available data found that evacuation orders for some neighbourhoods of Altadena, where the Eaton Fire swept through, came long after houses burned down.The report cites critical staffing shortages, including a high number of sheriff’s deputy vacancies and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management.In addition, first responders and incident commanders were unable to consistently share information due to unreliable cellular connectivity, inconsistent field reporting methods, and the use of various unconnected communication platforms.