McChrystal Report Faults LA Fire Response

An independent 133-page after-action report by the McChrystal Group, commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors after the January Eaton and Palisades fires, found outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities significantly hampered the county’s response. The fires killed at least 31 people, burned about 37,000 acres and destroyed roughly 16,251 buildings, and evacuation warnings were delayed in neighborhoods such as Altadena and Pacific Palisades — in some cases alerts arrived only after homes were burning. Reviewers identified critical staffing shortages — including many sheriff’s deputy vacancies — and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management, plus a slow, convoluted evacuation-decision process. Failures in real-time information sharing were attributed to unreliable cellular connectivity, inconsistent field reporting and multiple unconnected platforms. The report urges restructuring the Office of Emergency Management, boosting staffing, standardizing field reporting and cross-jurisdiction training, and deploying integrated alert tools and clearer public communications. County leaders said the findings are intended to improve safety and restore public trust rather than assign blame, and the Board of Supervisors will review the report soon.