Officials in Los Angeles County said a technical error was to blame for the entire county – nearly 10 million residents – accidentally receiving an emergency evacuation alert Thursday night amid raging wind-swept wildfires.
The alert was intended for a significantly smaller zone of people affected by the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills, CBS News reported.
"I have been informed the evacuation warning that many of us just received on our phones was mistakenly issued countywide due to a technical error," County Supervisor Janice Hahn said, according to the network.
Emergency officials tried to clear things up in a follow-up message, clarifying that the alert was intended for just the Kenneth Fire.
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"An evacuation order for residents near the Kenneth Fire currently burning in West Hills was mistakenly issued to nearly 10 million County residents along with some residents of neighboring counties" said Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, as reported by CBS News. "This warning was intended only for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills and those within the West Hills community of Los Angeles."
Several infernos were tearing across southern California and claimed a seventh life Thursday as the unprecedented fire continued to spread into neighborhoods with no signs of slowing.
