OAN Staff James Meyers
2:10 PM – Wednesday, January 15, 2025
A new report has revealed that bosses at the Los Angeles Fire Department chose to deploy only a small fraction of its firefighters and trucks to the overwhelming Palisades Fire — after the fire was already raging out of control.
The new report, which was published on Wednesday, revealed that the fire bosses only sent five of the 40 available fire engines, in addition to holding back 1,000 firefighters during the early stages of the now-massive Palisades fire.
The decision, which was blasted by a number of retired fire chiefs who spoke to the press, was labeled as a major “misstep,” especially since high wind warnings were broadcast in the days prior. The department should have anticipated a possible wildfire scenario, according to one ex-fire chief who asked to remain anonymous.
“You would have had a better chance to get a better result if you deployed those engines,” former LAFD Battalion Chief Rick Crawford told the Los Angeles Times.
“You give yourself the best chance to minimize how big the fire could get. … If you do that, you have the ability to say, ‘I threw everything at it at the outset.’”
“That didn’t happen here,” he continued, adding the choices were part of a “domino effect of missteps” by officials.
Additionally, officials held off on ordering hundreds of readily available crews to remain on duty for a second shift last Tuesday. This could have doubled the manpower on hand, helping to battle the blaze in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, according to internal fire department records released by the Los Angeles Times.
Despite being available, no extra engines were readied in the Palisades area before the fire erupted, according to the logs.
LA Deputy Chief Richard Fields, who is in charge of staffing and equipment, emphasized that his plan was “appropriate for immediate response” and he spoke out against critics who were claiming that he was playing “Monday morning quarterback.”
The LA Times also reported that before the fires, LAFD leaders did not allow nine fire engines to help in fire-prone areas, such as the Pacific Palisades, but instead kept them in position in Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.
However, the Times reported that they were utilized to take other calls.
“The plan you’re using now for the fire you should have used before the fire,” said Crawford, who now runs emergency and crisis management for the US Capitol.
“It’s a known staffing tactic — a deployment model.”
Crawford and other former fire chiefs, with several years of experience, emphasized that at least 24 of the more than 40 engines should have been staged in the Palisades and other hillside regions in advance.
Fields told the Times that he stands by the decision, despite the fact that calls were doubled the night the blazes started.
The winds that night reportedly ramped up to 100 miles per hour, spreading embers for miles beyond the fire.
“It’s very easy to Monday-morning quarterback and sit on the couch and tell us what we should have done now that the thing has happened,” he said.
“What we did was based on many years of experience and also trying to be responsible for the rest of the city at any given time of that day.”
“I accept that we could be scrutinized for not having enough after the thing has happened,” Fields added. “But I would challenge any of those people that scrutinize that to make a different decision prior to the thing happening.”
Fire Chief Crowley argues that certain leaders had to be strategic due to limited resources.
“The plan that they put together, I stand behind, because we have to manage everybody in the city,” Crowley said.
Furthermore, crews fighting the Palisades Fire also reported early on that they struggled to fight flames after local hydrants ran dry — due to low water pressure.
Later, it was reported that the 117 million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir in the fire-torn Pacific Palisades neighborhood was completely empty and needed ongoing repairs to its torn cover.
The fires across the region have caused almost $250 billion in damages.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
