Millions of Los Angeles residents were sent into a frenzy after an evacuation alert mistakenly lit up their phones warning them of an impending fire. It came as several neighbourhoods were already on edge since the ferocious wildfires erupted on Tuesday, leaving an estimated 5,300 structures decimated and at least 150,000 residents forced to flee their homes. The startling message warned 10 million residents they were also in the firing line of an impending fire, sparking "massive panic".
West Los Angeles resident Rebecca Alvarez-Petit was on a video call with her coworkers when the urgent alert lit up her mobile. The message, which was also sent to all her colleagues, read: "An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area.". Rebecca said: "It was like a massive panic that I was watching in real-time.".
Immediate relief came in the form of another alert telling them to disregard the former message, but many were still left angered by the mishap. "We're all on pins and needles and have been anxiously sitting by our phones, staring at the TV, having the radio going - trying to stay as informed as possible because there wasn't a good system in place," said Ms Alvarez-Petit, "And then this. It's like - you have got to be kidding me.".
The death toll climbed to 10 on Thursday evening after horror blazes tore through several homes, leaving entire neighbourhoods flattened and covered in debris. 10 fire-related death notifications were received by the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner as of Thursday night, but no names have been released by the medical examiner. All cases are now pending identification and legal next of kin notification, the department added.
