Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass fires Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, citing her response to Palisades wildfire

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday she has fired Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, citing in part her response to last month’s devastating wildfires, among the most destructive fires in California’s history.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday she has fired Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, citing in part her response to last month’s devastating Palisades wildfire, among the most destructive in California’s history. Bass said the chief’s removal was “in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department.” Exercising her rights under civil service rules, the 25-year LAFD veteran will remain employed by the fire department at a lower rank, and her duties will be assigned by the interim fire chief, a statement from the mayor’s office said. The catastrophic Palisades fire, which burned Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood as well as unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County and the city of Malibu, killed 12 people and torched nearly 24,000 acres since it began January 7, upending the lives of thousands who were suddenly displaced after being told to evacuate or left with only ruins of their homes and family memories. More than 7,800 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection estimates. In response to the destructive fires, Crowley had faced criticism alleging firefighters responded to the scene of the Palisades fire too late and evacuation orders could have been issued sooner. Bass had also faced criticism for being in Ghana when the Palisades fire erupted, despite warnings about fire weather conditions. At the time, she had been overseas attending the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama as part of a US presidential delegation.