The company behind Los Angeles County’s emergency alert system says its technology wasn’t responsible for western Altadena residents not getting evacuation alerts during the Eaton Fire.
All 17 deaths during the fire occurred in the area west of Lake Ave., where evacuation alerts were delayed for hours while the flames spread on the night of Jan. 7.
During a shareholder town hall, the head of Genasys, Richard Danforth, said the system was “up and operational” on the night the fire broke out.
"Why those messages weren't sent — we know it wasn't technology," Vice President Steve Sickler added.
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who called for an ongoing independent investigation into the alert failure, told KNX News’ Karen Adams that the comments by Genasys leaders will be included in the investigation “if, in fact, it bears out.”
“They contract with us, so I guess, you know, you always want to protect yourself,” she said. “That’s fine, and it may be the case.”
Lake Ave. historically served as a redlining boundary in Altadena, and the area to the west still had a significantly higher share of Black residents as of 2023.
“When I took the [Housing and Urban Development] secretary on the tour, I pointed that out to him,” Barger said. “Really, this fire has shed a light on something that historically I think they were moving away from, but the reality is, there still is a sense of the east versus west side.”
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The county began using Genesis software a month before the Eaton Fire. County officials also blamed the erroneous evacuation alerts sent to residents all over Southern California on a software issue.
Barger said the Board of Supervisors expects an update on the independent investigation by April 28. Local congressmembers are also investigating the issue.
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