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Column: L.A. officials’ poor fire communication should have residents fuming

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Column: L.A. officials' poor fire communication should have residents fuming

I should have known better than to turn on the television.

Over the past fifteen years, my family and I have been forced to leave our house in the foothills twice. In 2009, during the Station fire, we received an evacuation order when smoke-filled streets and fires burning on the surrounding mountain slopes became visible.

On this occasion, we promptly departed when our phones vibrated with a notification about an evacuation warning. The memory of how swiftly fire had ravaged the Palisades was still fresh in our minds, and knowing that a blaze had started near Eaton Canyon in Altadena, we spent a restless night as our house trembled under 85-mph winds. By dawn, power had been off for quite some time, our cell service was scant, radio coverage was limited, yet we kept our eyes on the Palisades and then Malibu, with reports of escalating destruction in Altadena too.

A heavy blanket of ominous clouds, resembling a digital portrayal of the underworld, hung just beyond us, while an evacuation zone lay merely three streets distant. As soon as the breeze subsided sufficiently for us to gather our belongings, we hastily departed.

While traveling southward on Highway 2, I briefly looked aside to identify, within mere moments, something resembling our familiar sun but seeming almost alien, like a celestial body from another world.

Upon arriving at our destination, I found myself consumed for 24 hours with a fervor for fire maps. These sources included The Times’ website, the Watch Duty app, and protect.genasys.com. However, none of them could satisfy my curiosity: They didn’t provide information on how quickly the fire was approaching my home, as well as the homes of my friends and neighbors.

It was challenging to discern the situation accurately. My coworkers have meticulously documented the destruction in Altadena, providing images and accounts of flames tearing down the slopes, annihilating homes and businesses just as ferociously as they did in the Palisades. I responded to messages from friends and relatives with hopefulness, all the while flipping between maps, social media platforms, and Next Door, seeking any hint of the true fire boundary west of the main blaze. However, I found conflicting reports instead.

From personal knowledge, it’s clear that the foothills are somewhat enigmatic to those who don’t reside there – it took several days for the Station fire to reach headlines. I kept an eye on NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s safety, knowing that if it were to catch fire, cameras would be involved. As reported by my colleague Jessica Gelt, the Gamble House and Descanso Gardens seemed unaffected, which was a massive relief given they are just a few miles from my home.

As the day turned into night and my fingers started to twitch from extended phone usage, I eventually conceded and switched on the TV instead.

It was a huge mistake.

Initially, what I saw was a local fire chief leading a somber walkthrough of the destruction in Palisades. It seemed likely that the camera crew needed this official guide for filming purposes, but my thoughts were elsewhere – it appeared as if a firefighter was delivering an interview about the aftermath while countless acres and homes were still engulfed in flames.

The images were gruesome, yet they provided no new details, with multiple news sources like The Times and countless locals on social media already sharing similar information. Meanwhile, the anchors expressed appropriate shocks and sorrows, while I sat there, agitated, trying to figure out where exactly the different fire lines stood at that very moment.

The broadcast was temporarily halted for a press conference led by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, supposedly to share details about multiple ongoing fires, presumably including Eaton. However, this incident is far from her best moment as mayor. She had left the country despite receiving warnings of impending high winds and fire risks, only to return and find the city in flames. She has been evading questions and criticism regarding her departure, the city’s apparent lack of readiness, delays in responding to the Palisades fire, and the evident understaffing of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

I wasn’t anticipating her to delve into these topics during the press conference; she was in a critical situation, so it wasn’t apt for such discussions. Nevertheless, I did assume she would offer some current information. You know, to keep us informed about the latest developments. Perhaps she could present maps that showed not only evacuation zones but also the real fire boundaries. Discuss the quantity and location of water and retardant drops at specific times, and whether they were showing results. In essence, I expected her to share something substantial.

Instead, she attributed the fires to strong winds without providing specifics about any changes or implications for each blaze. It was more a dramatic emphasis on how powerful the winds had been (Mayor, we were there) and how swiftly the Palisades fire spread (same goes for the Palisades). No reference was made, naturally, to the Eaton fire where at least four lives were tragically lost.

Later on, she pointed out that an increased number of evacuation notices might be going out to residents – in what areas specifically, she did not specify. She encouraged us to take these orders seriously. It was clear that everyone had already done so, hence the anticipation for the update. Seemingly reading from a script, she urged Angelenos to support each other and expressed faith that we would recover and rebuild.

It seems certain we’ll carry on, yet there was a sense of post-event tension, as if it was time to pick up the pieces and move forward. However, the destruction was ongoing, everywhere you looked, and at that moment, tens of thousands of people desperately needed updates – not just words of sympathy or bracing up, but concrete information about their situation.

Especially those who do not live in the Palisades, Malibu and other Westside neighborhoods.

It’s understood that Altadena and the surrounding foothill communities, excluding Pasadena, are not well-known for their celebrity connections, despite the fact that wealthy individuals reside there, some of whom unfortunately lost their homes in the Eaton fire. For local residents, Fox’s and the Eaton Canyon Nature Center held the same level of significance as the Reel Inn did.

Regardless of the significance, both neighborhoods serve as crucial hubs in the expansive metropolis known as Los Angeles, and they’ve been ravaged at an astonishing pace and intensity. A cherished community, a paradise for its inhabitants, exists — only to be tragically wiped out.

But the fires are still burning.

After they’re gone, we will come together to grieve, offer comfort, and rebuild, ensuring everyone is safe. However, for now, many Angelinos are displaced from their homes, unsure of the immediate threat to them. Although the destructive winds seem to have subsided, allowing air support for firefighters, tension remains unbearably high. An unnecessary panic was triggered when an emergency evacuation alert was mistakenly sent out to numerous L.A. County residents on Thursday, followed by a loud correction.

The area where we live continues under an evacuation advisory, implying that we might be able to go back home. However, while I’ve been composing this, a fire has started in nearby Big Tujunga, and as per Next Door, the power is still off, the air quality is poor. Therefore, we are choosing to stay where we are.

Los Angeles residents show remarkable resilience, resourcefulness, and unity during crises, yet it’s challenging to respond effectively when the situation isn’t clear. In such moments, journalists can offer valuable insights but are limited by the information they receive. Times reporters have certainly been proactive in these situations, but their work is dependent on the data they’re provided with.

If Bass and the other leaders aim to rectify their oversight, they should provide additional and unambiguous details. It’s unfair for those displaced from their homes to depend on platforms like Next Door for accurate updates about their situation.

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2025-01-10 14:31

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