Concerns over a small brush fire that reignited days later into the mammoth Palisades fire – the most destructive in Los Angeles history – have grown in recent weeks amid reports that firefighters were ordered to leave the original site of the smaller blaze despite their concerns the ground was still smoldering.
Now, questions remain about how leaders at the Los Angeles fire department responded to a fire that leveled entire communities, and who within the agency knew about concerns the fire could still pose a threat. A former LA city councilor says the aftermath and recovery effort should serve as a Pearl Harbor moment for the city, which should never again be in a position with flames encroaching on all sides.
The LA Times has published a series of bombshell revelations about the initial response to that first blaze, the Lachman fire, in recent weeks, citing text messages revealing that firefighters spoke with their battalion chief shortly after it broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The small fire – just 8 acres – was largely extinguished hours later.
But, the Times reports, firefighters were told to roll up their hoses and leave a day later: a move that was made despite reporting to their superior that it was a “bad idea” to leave the burn scar because of visible smoldering – some rocks and tree stumps were still hot to the touch.
The LAFD previously maintained the Lachman fire was “dead out” before firefighters moved on, saying they had “cold-trailed” it several times, feeling with their hands for any hotspots to detect any remaining fire. Any new blaze that arose from the ashes would “be a phenomenon”, an assistant fire chief said at the time.