New 911 Records Deepen Questions About West Altadena Evacuations
Several news outlets reported that newly obtained 911 logs show sheriff’s deputies were responding to fire-related calls in west Altadena hours before formal evacuation alerts were issued. A deputy helped evacuate an elderly resident on Glenrose Avenue near Loma Alta Drive around 11:38 p.m. on Jan. 7, and the address was forwarded to the command post for evacuations. Yet no formal evacuation order or warning had gone out for west Altadena until 3:25 a.m, and in some cases it was 5:25 a.m. or none at all. The article is especially significant because it came just after a county-commissioned report concluded there was “no failure” or delay in evacuation decision-making by the L.A. County Fire Department. That report said commanders acted appropriately under extreme fire and weather conditions, including the loss of aerial surveillance, but the new 911 records raise fresh questions about whether information from deputies and fire personnel on the ground was properly communicated up the chain of command.