Evacuation orders and an alarm sound were mistakenly sent to cellphones of residents all over Los Angeles County and beyond on Thursday afternoon. But officials say the widespread alert was an error, Report informs via NBC News.
The text message warning was sent to millions of people around 4 p.m. local time, including in places far from where wildfires are burning out of control.
“An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area,” the text message read, in part. It arrived with a loud buzzing sound.
A second alert then followed the first, telling people to disregard the warning and explaining that it was meant only for people near the Kenneth Fire — a new brush fire that ignited Thursday afternoon.
“This warning was intended only for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills, and those within the West Hills community of Los Angeles,” Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, said in a statement.
Instead, it was mistakenly sent to nearly 10 million people, McGowan said.
“We understand that these wildfires have created great anxiety, hardship and distress among our residents, and we are committed to sharing accurate information,” he said in the statement.