LA Mayor Karen Bass Fires Fire Chief After Public Disagreement Over Wildfire Response

LA Mayor Karen Bass Fires Fire Chief After Public Disagreement Over Wildfire Response

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass dismissed Fire Chief Kristin Crowley on Friday, following a public dispute over the city's response to the catastrophic wildfires that struck six weeks ago.

In a statement, Bass announced the immediate removal of Chief Crowley, stating that the city needed "new leadership" in the fire department.

“We know that 1,000 firefighters who could have been deployed when the fires started were instead sent home under Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said, also accusing the chief of refusing to prepare an "after-action report" on the fires, which she deemed crucial for the investigation.

The devastating Palisades fire began on January 7 amid strong winds, destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses, and structures, and claiming at least 12 lives in the Los Angeles area. On the same day, another fire ignited in Altadena, east of the city, killing at least 17 people and destroying or damaging more than 10,000 properties.

Bass faced criticism for being out of the city at the time, attending a presidential delegation in Africa while the fires raged, despite weather warnings about dangerous fire conditions. In interviews this week, she admitted that leaving the city was a mistake but suggested that she wasn’t fully informed of the potential dangers while she was abroad. She blamed Crowley for not alerting her to the imminent fire threat.

Crowley, in turn, had publicly criticized the city for budget cuts that she claimed hampered the fire department’s ability to effectively respond to the crisis.

Appointed as fire chief in 2022 by Bass’s predecessor, Crowley had a long career in the department, having served in various roles, including fire marshal, engineer, and battalion chief, over her more than 25 years of service.

Following her dismissal, the mayor's office stated that Crowley had chosen to remain in the fire department at a lower rank, exercising her civil service rights.

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