Evacuation Alert Mistake Spooks Culver City Residents

An erroneous evacuation alert related to fires in L.A. County issued Thursday afternoon put Culver City residents on alert, but it quickly became apparent that it was issued in error.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department sent out the emergency alert to residents as far south as Long Beach. It asked residents to gather pets and supplies and prepare to leave to avoid the threat of the various fires in the county.

Culver City Mayor Dan O'Brien confirmed in a phone call that there was no imminent threat to Culver City and that he was communicating with various city bodies while monitoring the situation. An alert sent at 4:20 p.m. — around 20 minutes after the first alert — confirmed that the evacuation order was only meant for areas near the Kenneth Fire in Ventura.

Several fires are burning in Los Angeles County, with the Palisades Fire being the largest at over 17,200 acres as of 2:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Since the Palisades Fire erupted Tuesday morning, several smaller fires have started, including the Kenneth Fire, and continue to generate local concern.

Fortunately, the Sunset Fire — which started Wednesday in the Hollywood Hills — was quickly contained, and evacuation orders were called off today. However, the over 13,000-acre Eaton Fire in Altadena and the 50-acre Kenneth Fire continue to burn along with the Palisades Fire as of Thursday afternoon.

O'Brien stated that while the danger of fires in Culver City is not imminent, the chance that an actual evacuation order is issued is not entirely zero, pointing to the flora and foliage at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook as a potential concern.

Prospects of a potential evacuation spooked residents, with some taking to social media to ask about the evacuation order and its validity. Several news outlets, including KCAL and KTLA, quickly confirmed publicly that the alert was sent in error, and calls to the Culver City Fire Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, and others also confirmed the mistake.

The threat of fire is still distant, but residents in Culver City can feel its effects. Air quality in the city has remained at an unhealthy level, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) sitting at 92, just below the 100 mark that is officially considered unhealthy.

As a result, the Plunge and all Culver City parks were closed as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Culver City schools were also closed today and will remain closed on Friday, with the air quality being cited as the primary culprit.

If an immediate threat is posed to the city, the Culver City Fire Department will issue emergency alerts through its Everbridge Emergency Alerts System, which you can sign up for here.