Los Angeles firefighters have made progress containing wildfires that have claimed at least 10 lives and caused unprecedented damage. In the weeks ahead, officials and residents will examine whether local authorities’ warnings and early responses adequately prepared the city for the escalating crisis.
CBS News examined public statements and warnings to trace how authorities sounded the alarm as conditions worsened. Here’s what we know.
By the week’s end hundreds of thousands of people had evacuated their homes, tens of thousands of buildings had been destroyed, and the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire had become among the most destructive in California history.
Officials also started to get questions about whether or not the public could rely on alerts from the government after evacuation messages were erroneously sent on Thursday to residents living outside warning zones.
CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti asked Mayor Bass how she would restore residents’ trust in the alerts.
“I want the residents of Los Angeles region to have faith in what we’re doing 24 hours a day,” Bass said.
