Los Angeles Fire Chief Dismissed Following Historic Wildfires

Mayor Karen Bass cites leadership failures and obstruction in the aftermath of January's devastating fires, which claimed 29 lives and destroyed thousands of homes.

Kristin Crowley, the first woman to lead the Los Angeles Fire Department, was dismissed by Mayor Karen Bass six weeks after the city's most destructive wildfires on record.
The January wildfires resulted in 29 deaths, the destruction of over 10,000 homes, and overwhelmed firefighting efforts in the region.
Mayor Bass accused Crowley of sending 1,000 firefighters home on the morning the fires began and refusing to submit a post-incident report requested by the fire commission.
Critics, including the firefighters' union and some city council members, argue that Crowley's dismissal is a scapegoating effort to deflect attention from Bass's own absence during the fires and prior budget cuts affecting fire services.
Meteorologists had reportedly issued warnings about heightened fire risks due to prolonged drought and strong winds before the fires broke out.