Text messages exchanged between former Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Chief Kristin Crowley and other officials reveal how they coordinated efforts during the devastating wildfires that struck Los Angeles County earlier this year. The fires, which began on January 7, were among the worst in the city’s history, particularly affecting the Pacific Palisades area.
According to ABC News, the text messages show how officials, including Crowley, Los Angeles Emergency Management Department General Manager Carol Parks, and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, initially activated the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Level 3, the lowest level. As the fires intensified, Crowley recommended upgrading the EOC to Level 2 to increase resources.
The coordination efforts faced challenges, including previous budget cuts to the LAFD, which Crowley mentioned during a TV interview. Despite these constraints, Crowley and her team worked to deploy resources and communicate with city officials, including acting mayor Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who was in contact with the LAFD as the fires escalated.
Crowley was removed from her position as fire chief by Mayor Karen Bass, who criticized her handling of the response, including not keeping firefighters on duty before the fires broke out. Crowley has since appealed her termination and remains in the civil service at a lower rank.
The text messages and internal reports, obtained through public records requests, provide insight into the early struggles and decisions made by Los Angeles officials as they faced the rapidly spreading blazes. As reported by ABC57, the fires resulted in 29 deaths and scorched nearly 60,000 acres, leading to questions about whether the devastation could have been minimized with different preparations.
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