LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday requested a full investigation into the fire department’s handling of the Lachman Fire, which lead to the devastating Palisades Fire days later.
A new LA Times report adds to the continued scrutiny around the deadly Palisades Fire. Federal investigators concluded it was the result of the earlier Lachman Fire, set on New Year’s Day, which was extinguished but smoldered underground and reignited on Jan. 7 by heavy winds.
On Thursday, the LA Times reported that crews mopping up the area of the Lachman Fire warned a battalion chief that the ground was still smoldering and rocks remained hot to the touch, and that it was a “bad” idea to leave the scene. However, despite those concerns, the crews were told to leave the area.
Another firefighter recently texted that crew members were upset about being told to leave, but they could not disobey orders, according to the Times. The firefighter also wrote that he and other firefighters knew immediately when the Palisades Fire erupted Jan. 7 that it was a rekindling of the earlier Lachman Fire.
“The boots on the ground did an outstanding job with what they had, this is not just on the battalion chief, this is a leadership issue all the way up to the top,” said Former LAFD Battalion Chief Rick Crawford.
Crawford retired from the fire department last year and believes there were systematic failures.
“If I was running the structure fire, if I was running that really dangerous fire and I have my crews telling me there are things they are uncomfortable with, that should raise the hair on the back of my neck, as an incident commander to not be business as usual,” Crawford said.
Mayor Bass calls the report “tremendously alarming,” and in a letter Friday, requested that Interim Chief Ronnie Villanueva thoroughly investigate the Lachman Fire response saying:
“A full understanding of the Lachman Fire response is essential to an accurate accounting of what occurred during the January wildfires. This will continue to guide our ongoing reforms, which include enhancing pre-deployment protocols, strengthening interagency coordination, upgrading communications technology, and expanding training at all staff levels.”
Earlier this month, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested for allegedly setting the Lachman Fire in the early morning hours of Jan. 1. Prosecutors contend that despite that fire being doused, it continued to smolder underground and was reignited by fierce Santa Ana winds, becoming the deadly Palisades Fire that wiped out much of the upscale Pacific Palisades community.
Rinderknecht was charged with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in federal court Nov. 12 in downtown Los Angeles.
The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres and destroyed much of the exclusive community, destroying about 6,800 structures and killing 12 people.
City News Service contributed to this report
Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
