An evacuation message, accompanied by an alarm sound, was mistakenly sent to cell phones early Friday morning and alarmed residents of Beverly Hills and other areas of Los Angeles County, where five wildfires are being fought, according to the city in a post on X.
The authorities' statement clarified that "there are currently no evacuations affecting Beverly Hills." The message was sent at 4 am local time, and occurred after a similar error on Thursday, when a mass warning caused confusion in multiple areas.
What was the first evacuation error?
On Thursday afternoon, around 4 pm, an evacuation message was distributed to millions of people, including regions far away from the active wildfires in the area. The alert text warned: "An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area", causing alarm due to the loud buzzing that accompanied the message.
Subsequently, a second message was sent to clarify the error, indicating that the alert was exclusive to residents of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and the community of West Hills in Los Angeles, areas near the brush fire known as Kenneth, which had started that same day.
Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Office, explained in a statement: “This warning was intended solely for residents of the areas affected by the Kenneth fire. The message was mistakenly sent to nearly 10 million people”.
Residents' reactions
The error caused a wave of frustration on social media. "My entire area just received an Amber-type evacuation alert, which turned out to be for West Hills, not Beverly Hills," wrote a user on X. "Seriously? As if we weren't already anxious enough."
Another user expressed: "I received an evacuation alert on my phone in downtown Los Angeles for a fire over 20 miles away. Small technical failures will only make things worse."
Wildfires in the Los Angeles area continue to be out of control, with strong winds complicating containment efforts. Authorities urge residents to stay tuned to official updates and use reliable sources to get information about evacuations.
Although false alerts have been a source of confusion, McGowan, in conversation with NBC News, reaffirmed his office’s commitment to disseminating accurate information. “We understand that these fires have caused great anxiety among our residents, and we are working to improve our communications,” he concluded.