Millions of Los Angeles County residents were thrown into panic after a mistaken evacuation alert for the Kenneth Fire was sent to nearly 10 million cellphones, exceeding the intended zones of Calabasas and West Hills.
The Kenneth Fire, a brush fire that began in West Hills, prompted local officials to issue targeted evacuation alerts to affected areas.
On Thursday afternoon, due to a technical glitch, the emergency message was mistakenly sent countywide and even reached some neighboring counties, according to NBC News.
Los Angeles County's Office of Emergency Management admitted to the error, emphasizing that the proper alert zones had been selected but a software malfunction caused the widespread message.
Residents across Los Angeles, including those far from the fire, were alarmed by the evacuation alert, which arrived with a loud emergency buzz.
Despite a follow-up message clarifying the mistake within minutes, the initial message caused widespread confusion and frustration given that over 331,000 people were already under evacuation orders or warnings.
Updates on evacuation zones and wildfire containment will be shared through official channels to mitigate further confusion.
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