Overview
- A Los Angeles Times review of firefighter text messages says crews told a battalion chief on Jan. 2 that the Lachman burn area was still smoldering and were instructed to roll up hoses and depart.
- Federal investigators describe the Jan. 7 Palisades blaze as a holdover from the Jan. 1 Lachman Fire, and 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht has been charged in the case.
- Interim Chief Ronnie Villanueva contends the event was an undetectable holdover and says crews stayed more than 36 hours, with a claimed Jan. 3 return lacking provided dispatch records.
- Incident Commander Joe Everett acknowledged mistakes in retrospect and said LAFD will deploy heat-detecting drones to monitor burn scars going forward.
- The fire killed 12 people and scorched about 23,448 acres, fueling multiple lawsuits and a U.S. Senate inquiry into the response and preparedness.