This wildfire evacuation alert accidentally went out to everyone in LA County – The Verge

By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.After two days of dealing with wildfires that have burned thousands of acres, residents across Los Angeles County received a wildfire evacuation alert on Thursday afternoon that was a mistake. Shortly after, officials sent a follow-up alert saying that the notice was intended only for people near the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills.Los Angeles County shared a message on X explaining what happened: “An evacuation order for residents near the Kenneth Fire currently burning in West Hills was mistakenly issued Countywide. This alert was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills.”CBS News quotes a local official who said that the alert, which included a broken URL, was sent “due to a technical error.”Many wildfires are burning in the LA area, and officials have confirmed at least six deaths, CNN reports. LA County has a population of nearly 10 million people, which is the “largest population of any county in the nation,” according to the county’s website. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we’ve tested sent to your inbox weekly.The Verge is a vox media network© 2025 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24340289/los-angeles-wildfire-wireless-emergency-alert-mistake