A new investigation by the Los Angeles Times finds the Los Angeles Fire Department repeatedly edited its after-action report on January’s deadly Palisades Fire in ways that softened criticism of the department and city leadership.
The Times obtained seven drafts of the report and found that key language about staffing and deployment decisions ahead of extreme Santa Ana winds was removed or reworded. References to “failures” were changed to “primary challenges,” and criticism of delayed assignments and violations of national safety guidelines was cut.
Even with the edits, the final report still cited resource shortages, leadership confusion, and communication breakdowns during the fire, which killed 12 people, destroyed about 6,800 structures, and burned more than 23,000 acres.
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