A Los Angeles firefighter says he raised alarms about smoldering embers at a burn site days before the devastating Palisades Fire tore through Pacific Palisades — and that nobody listened.
Sworn depositions, released by attorneys representing thousands of fire victims, are now shedding new light on what happened in the critical days before the January 7 blaze.
Scott Pike, a 23-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), was working an overtime shift on January 2 when he was assigned to help with the mop-up of the Lachman fire — a smaller blaze that had ignited above Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day and burned about eight acres before being declared contained. But what Pike found at the scene troubled him.
According to NBC4, Pike testified that when he approached one of the ash pits, the ground was still dangerously hot.
“I didn’t even want to use my gloved hand because it was hot. So I just kicked it with my boot to kind of expose it, and there was, like, red-hot coals that was still smoldering. I even heard crackling.”
Pike said he reported his observations to fellow firefighters and then approached the captain on scene.
“Hey, Cap — we have hot spots in general. We have some ash pits,” he recalled saying. But his concerns were dismissed. “I felt like I kind of got blown off a little bit,” he testified. “I saw something, I said something and, to the best of my ability, I thought we could have done more,” Pike said.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Pike’s account corroborates earlier reporting that a battalion chief ordered crews to pack up their hoses and leave, despite visible signs the fire was not fully out. Text messages from firefighters at the scene described the ground still smoldering and rocks hot to the touch. One firefighter texted that the battalion chief had been told it was a “bad idea” to leave. “And the rest is history,” the firefighter wrote.
Five days after crews left the Lachman fire site, the Palisades Fire erupted in roughly the same area on January 7. The inferno destroyed approximately 6,000 structures, killed 12 people, and displaced thousands of Pacific Palisades residents.
Firefighter Tommy Kitahata said in his deposition that crews were told state personnel would monitor the burn site after they left. “They’ll have state park people looking at the area,” Kitahata said he was told. Firefighter Martin Mullen also testified he was told someone would patrol the location for several days. However, John Ota of California State Parks said in his deposition that he did not return after the first day.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say the lawsuit does not target the LAFD. Attorney Roger Behle, who represents thousands of victims, argued that the state bears responsibility because it owns Topanga State Park, where the Lachman fire started. “Because it’s the state parks land, they have to be up there monitoring their own land,” Behle said. “It’s their obligation, because it’s their land.”
Attorney Alex Robertson, also representing fire victims, praised Pike’s willingness to speak out.
“Only one of the firefighters we deposed had the courage to tell the truth — that his fellow firefighters and captain ignored his warnings that the fire had not been fully extinguished,” Robertson said.
According to FOX 11, California State Parks pushed back sharply on how the depositions were presented. Marty Greenstein, deputy director of communications for California State Parks, called the released video “deceptively edited” and the claims “baseless.” “By law, the fire response is the responsibility of the Los Angeles City Fire Department,” Greenstein said. “California State Parks is not a firefighting agency and does not direct fire response.” He also noted that a court recently ruled that multiple claims against the state failed as a matter of law and will be dismissed.
LAFD commanders have maintained that the Lachman fire was completely extinguished when crews left. Former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at a community meeting in January 2025, “We won’t leave a fire that has any hot spots.” Chief Deputy Joe Everett added, “That fire was dead out.”
New LAFD Fire Chief Jaime Moore said he has opened an internal investigation into the Lachman fire through the department’s Professional Standards Division. He also said he spoke directly with the battalion chief on duty during the mop-up. “He swears to me that nobody ever told him verbally or through a text message that there was any hot spots,” Moore said.
Pike, who was never interviewed for the LAFD’s after-action report on the Palisades Fire, said the experience has stayed with him.
“I haven’t really spoken much on it because it kind of sits heavy on me that no one listened to me,” he said. “I haven’t seen anybody step up and take responsibility.”
Behle said additional depositions are expected as the litigation expands, with the City of Los Angeles, SoCalGas, multiple insurers, and Charter Communications also filing lawsuits against the state.
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