Software glitch to blame for accidental Chevy Chase Canyon emergency alert
An emergency alert which was sent out in error to cell phones across Los Angeles County Saturday was caused by a software glitch.
On Saturday, the Glendale Fire Department held an evacuation drill for residents of Chevy Chase Canyon.
However, during the drill, an alert was erroneously sent out across L.A. County informing residents of Chevy Chase Canyon to evacuate.
On Monday, the city of Glendale confirmed that the cause of the glitch was a software program.
"After further investigation into the root cause of this error, it was determined that the program used to send out the messaging had restrictions our city staff was unaware of," said Solene Manoukian, Glendale community relations coordinator. "This resulted in an override of the error notice, and the system defaulted to a countywide notification."
Manoukian also said city officials have taken steps to implement several safeguards and ensure that the error does not recur.
The alert was sent out Saturday while the region was contending with increased fire danger due to hot, dry and gusty conditions. A 200-acre wildfire broke out May 11 in Laguna Niguel in Orange County, destroying 20 homes and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate.