LA firefighters ordered to leave site that exploded into Palisades Fire: report

Firefighters working on the scene of a small Los Angeles wildfire that officers stated later became the devastating Palisades Fireplace have been ordered to go away the unique hearth scene regardless of tree stumps there being sizzling to the contact, in accordance with a evaluation of firefighters’ textual content messages by the Los Angeles Instances.

The newspaper reported, citing texts, that the hearth battalion chief ordered them to pack their hoses and depart the realm on January 2, a day after the Lachman hearth was declared below management. Then, on January 7, excessive winds reignited smoldering roots from the identical space, sparking the Palisades Fireplace, which burned some 7,000 buildings and killed twelve individuals.

A hearth official wrote in January that crews at Los Angeles Fireplace Division (LAFD) Station 69 within the Pacific Palisades have been stunned to be ordered to go away the realm. the Times reported. In accordance with the newspaper’s evaluation of the texts, the firefighter was instructed that the tree stumps on the website have been nonetheless sizzling when crews left.

The newspaper additionally reported that one other firefighter stated in a textual content message this month that crews have been offended after they have been ordered to go away the scene, however that they might not ignore the orders.

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A firefighter battles the Palisades Fireplace because it burns throughout a storm on the west facet of Los Angeles, California, on January 7, 2025. (Ringo Chiu/Reuters/TPX Photos of the day)

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In one other textual content, a firefighter on the scene on Jan. 2 stated the battalion chief was instructed it was a “dangerous thought” to go away the hearth scar unprotected due to seen indicators of smoldering terrain, in accordance with the Instances.

The newspaper cited different textual content messages saying firefighters complained that commanders have been failing to make sure cleanup work on the website was accomplished.

The LAFD didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Fox Information Digital on Friday.

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Firefighters watch the flames of the Palisades Fireplace burn a home throughout a robust storm on January 8, 2025 within the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Photos)

“The January 7 hearth was not a resurgence or the results of a failed suppression, however the reactivation of an undetectable remnant hearth below extraordinary wind situations,” LAFD Interim Fireplace Chief Ronnie Villanueva stated earlier this month.

“Mountain fires are almost unimaginable to detect with infrared imaging as a result of smoldering typically happens deep beneath the floor, particularly in chaparral terrain the place dense root methods conceal residual warmth. Underneath excessive winds, low humidity, and extended drought, these fires can flare up once more regardless of full suppression and containment efforts,” he added.

A drone picture reveals injury from the Palisades Fireplace within the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 28, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Instances through Getty Photos)

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Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old from Florida, is going through federal fees in reference to the Palisades Fireplace.

Fox Information Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.