LA fire chief ousted for leadership ‘failures’ in handling wildfires

FILE – Trees sway in high winds as the Eaton Fire burns structures Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass fired Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley Friday — citing what the mayor called failures in leadership ahead of the January windstorm that led to the deadly Palisades Fire, as well as what Bass said was Crowley’s refusal to prepare an after-action report on the firefight.

Bass appointed former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as interim fire chief.

Later Friday, the mayor’s office said Crowley has exercised her civil service right to remain with the agency at a lower rank. The interim chief will be responsible for assigning her duties.

In an afternoon news conference Friday, Bass said she supports a full investigation of everything that occurred leading up to the devastating Palisades Fire on Jan. 7.

She said that earlier this week, the president of the city’s Fire Commission instructed Crowley to do an after-action report — but according to Bass, Crowley refused.

Bass said she heard of Crowley’s refusal and met briefly with her Friday to remove her from her position. The mayor could not elaborate as to why Crowley allegedly refused to conduct the after-action report.

In part, such a report would analyze the department’s model of pre-deployment during the January windstorm and critical fire danger. As the Santa Ana wind event began, firefighters were sent out to areas of concern such as Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley and the Palisades.

“We all know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke, but were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said. “These actions required her removal.”

In a written statement, the mayor also said she fired Crowley “in the best interests” of L.A.’s public safety and the operations of the L.A. Fire Department.

The move came after recent interviews in which an embattled Bass also blamed Crowley for not informing her of the extreme Santa Ana winds and dangerous fire conditions that resulted in the Palisades Fire — despite those warnings being widely publicized by the National Weather Service and in media reports for days in advance.

“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as fire chief,” Bass said in a statement. “… The heroism of our firefighters — during the Palisades Fire and every single day — is without question. Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs.”

Bass has faced a barrage of criticism over the handling of the wildfire, in particular because the mayor went on a diplomatic trip to Ghana days before the fires erupted despite the warnings about anticipated severe wind and fire-danger conditions.

In interviews this week, Bass said she would normally receive a call from the fire chief about the approach of severe fire conditions, but did not receive any such notification in January.

Questions have also been raised about a key water reservoir that was out of service for repairs for months prior to and then during the Palisades Fire, leading to a drop in water pressure in portions of Pacific Palisades, and concerns about inoperable fire hydrants across the city.

The mayor emphasized that further investigations into the water pressure will be examined in a probe ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Tensions with Crowley increased upon Bass’ return to the city when Crowley made public comments critical of what she described as the city’s under-funding of the LAFD. That led to a one-on-one closed door meeting between the pair, but no punitive actions were taken against Crowley at the time.

The mayor’s decision to oust Crowley was met with quick criticism from City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and businessman Rick Caruso, who ran for mayor but lost to Bass.

“Chief Crowley remains the most qualified member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department that earned her well deserved appointment as fire chief,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“I am outraged by the scapegoating revealed by the mayor’s actions. I plan to use my authority as a council member to set the record straight and encourage Chief Crowley to appeal the mayor’s baseless termination to the City Council. The public deserves a full account of every single leadership failure that has taken place.” (CNS)