Some Californians didn't get evacuation alerts in wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Debra DeAngelo went to sleep, she thought the flames chewing through Northern California wine country were too far away to be dangerous. Plus, she had signed up for all the alerts that emergency officials pressed on people after years of catastrophic wildfires.

A frantic phone call from her friend woke her up two hours later: The ranch where they both boarded their horses was ablaze. DeAngelo raced to rescue terrified animals that night last week, furious she got no official warning by phone, text or siren.

“They alert us about all kinds of crap, but this was life threatening," she said, adding that she got an alert in April about a bear sighting 15 miles away (24 kilometers away). “If fire’s going to be a way of life for California, we at least have to have an alert system."

California has made strides in updating its evacuation alert systems since failing to notify thousands of people ahead of wine country fires three years ago that killed 44, many of them still inside their homes. But worrying gaps remain in the systems operated by each of the 58 counties, putting lives at risk in a state where wildfires are bigger, deadlier and more destructive than ever before.

Residents who barely escaped the latest fast-moving fire say they need a seamless system that crosses county lines and gives clear, useful information about what is happening. They want evacuation maps to accompany written descriptions posted on social media to make it easier to see what areas are in danger, and they want all counties, regardless of size and resources, to give accurate and timely alerts. Some people did not get warnings; others say they went out too late.

“I know this fire was an anomaly, and I’m not trying to point fingers, but it really showed some holes,” said Sarah Johnson, who lives at the...