Around 4:15 p.m., another alert was sent out by the the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management asking residents to disregard the previous alert, as it was only intended for the Kenneth fire, which erupted near West Hills bordering Los Angeles and Ventura counties earlier in the afternoon.

An alert to evacuate from the Los Angeles County Fire department Thursday afternoon appeared to have been sent in error.

While the message was intended for residents of Woodland Hills, officials say the registration location of the phones might have caused a wider distribution.

Emergency managers in Los Angeles apologized Friday after false evacuation alerts sparked panic in a city on edge over an unprecedented wildfire disaster.Kevin McGowan, the director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management,