Glendale credits staff, volunteers as city restores power and clears storm damage after regional wildfires and windstorms

Glendale officials applauded city staff, first responders and volunteers for their emergency response after severe winds and region-wide wildfires prompted evacuations and widespread power outages in early January.

City leaders said the emergency operations center was activated Jan. 7 as high winds and red-flag conditions threatened neighborhoods. The city opened an evacuation center at Pacific Park Community Center and launched a multilingual emergency “splash page” on glendaleca.gov, city staff said.

The city manager and department directors told the council the coordinated response focused on evacuation safety, restoring electricity and clearing roadways. “GWP crews served over 33,000 customers affected by power outages or downed power lines, restoring service as quickly as possible,” the manager said in a staff briefing. Glendale Fire Department personnel and support teams handled thousands of emergency calls and assisted neighboring jurisdictions while keeping all Glendale fire stations fully staffed, Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Brooks told the council.

Why it matters: City officials said fast, multilingual communication and mutual-aid support reduced immediate risk to residents and allowed the city to reopen neighborhoods quickly. Council members and staff described the…