Overview

• The 133-page after-action report released Thursday found no single point of failure but identified outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities that slowed warnings.
• Investigators drew on interviews with 147 participants and six community listening sessions, emphasizing recommendations to improve training, tools and public communication rather than assigning blame.
• The Board of Supervisors will take up the findings and proposed fixes at Tuesday’s public meeting, with county officials saying some improvements are already underway.
• Delayed alerts were documented in Altadena, particularly west of Lake Avenue, and the Associated Press has reported that some Pacific Palisades evacuation orders went out after homes were already burning.
• The Jan. 7 fires killed 31 people and damaged or destroyed roughly 17,000 structures across more than 37,000 acres, while cause investigations continue and lawsuits alleging Southern California Edison ignited the Eaton fire are tracking toward first trials in January 2027.