Palisades Fire Survivors Left To Die Amid Chaotic Evacuations Blast Newsom And Bass

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. —  Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida sat down Thursday with Palisades Fire victims to hear their stories firsthand. Residents told them local and state officials failed miserably.

The two-hour field hearing, held at a veteran’s organization in the burned community, opened with remarks from Johnson and Scott. Former reality star Spencer Pratt, who’s been outspoken about the lack of accountability from California leaders, spoke thereafter.

Each of the six victims said state and local officials failed to prepare residents for what was coming, despite knowing strong winds were forecast and another brush fire burned nearby just days before.

“I think it’s notable that of the parts of government that have actually helped, it’s been the federal government. I’m not a big fan of the federal government, but it sounds like FEMA, the Army Corps, cleared out the debris very rapidly,” Johnson said after the hearing. “So these people need help from the federal government.”

“We’re going to go back to Washington, D.C. President Trump knows how to get things done,” Johnson added. “We need elected officials who are competent and unfortunately don’t have them here in California, Los Angeles.”

PLEAS FOR THE GOVERNMENT

Nearly every resident in the room asked the federal government to step in and help their city. Pacific Palisades Community Council Rebuilding Committee Chairman David Schwarz testified that if federal aid does come, LA County should not be handed a “blank check.”

“Before another dollar is appropriated, Congress should insist on four conditions to ensure that federal funding will actually be used to rebuild my community on budget and on time,” Schwarz said.

The conditions listed by the chairman included the establishment an independent Pacific Palisades Reconstruction Authority (PPRA) board, with Governor Newsom delegating certain emergency powers to the PPRA, ensuring the board is accountable to residents and the federal government. A PPRA would allow residents to co-invest with the federal government in infrastructure repair projects.

“These are the sorts of conditions that President Trump insisted upon when he visited the Palisades nine months ago,” Schwarz said. “It’s also what our community wants.”

OFFICIAL FAILURE

The Palisades Fire broke out Jan. 7, starting in the Santa Monica Mountains before rapidly spreading into Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu. The blaze scorched more than 23,000 acres, destroyed 6,837 structures, damaged another 973 in the affected areas and ultimately killed 12 people.

Questions over how the fire started erupted almost immediately, as evacuation footage from that first day showed absolute chaos. Backlash quickly centered on Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was seen on CNN sidestepping a resident begging for leadership as homes burned behind them. Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also came under fire for being in Ghana during the initial days of the disaster.

Palisades survivor John Alle told the senators that he was one of the last people to speak with Bass before she left for her Jan. 4 trip. Alle told the mayor about another disaster waiting to happen: incoming high winds and meth users starting fires in the park next to his MacArthur Park property.

“I was concerned that that community would burn immediately since the buildings are 30s and 40s era construction,” Alle stated. “We discussed her leaving LA without a deputy mayor in place, in charge of homeland security, police, fire, airport.”

“Deputy Mayor Brian Williams was on paid leave while the FBI investigated his reporting of false bomb threats at LA City Hall. Even our own police chief was not aware that Brian Williams was on paid leave,” Alle added.

However, Alle said Bass allegedly seemed “intent on leaving,” describing her as becoming angry and “personally threatening on the phone” when he voiced his concerns.

“She told me she would miss just two days. I responded by saying she’d be away five days. That being mayor of the nation’s second largest city was a 24-7 job and that Saturdays and Sundays counted,” Alle recounted.

After his home burned down and his family lost everything, Alle reached out to Bass once more, texting and leaving voicemails. However, the mayor allegedly never responded.

Bass’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News’ Foundation’s request for comment.

POOR ALERTS

Pacific Palisades Resident Association President Jessica Rogers testified that some residents never received an evacuation notice when the fire first broke out.

“As I ran through my house gathering belongings, I kept checking my phone for alerts from local government. Nothing came,” Rogers said.

It wasn’t until 12:30 p.m. that Rogers said she received her first alert from officials about a possible evacuation By the time the text came through, she could already feel the heat on her skin as if she were “too close to a barbecue.”

“The mandatory evacuation notice – that didn’t arrive until nearly 5 p.m., when the homes on my street were already burned, and smoke made it impossible to breathe,” Rogers said.

Another community member in the audience recounted to the senators that when he and his family attempted to evacuate, authorities blocked one of the exits and told him to turn back toward the fire.

The man said that after following officials’ instructions, he was then ordered to go a different way. Retelling his frustration, his daughter sat beside him in tears as he described how desperate his family had been to get out of the danger zone.

ELDERLY LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES 

“Nearly all of the elderly or disabled left to die in their homes. These people, these 12 people deserve to feel safe in their homes but were instead lost in fire. It was the direct result of gross negligence and mismanagement by our state and our local government,” caregiver survivor Tom Doran said during his testimony.

Following Rogers’ escape from her home, the fire survivor took it upon herself to step in because the local government’s response was “inadequate.” After contacting their councilwoman’s staff at the fire department’s central command, she began relaying ground-level information from residents about whose doors officials needed to knock on.

“Most critically, I coordinated sending firefighters and police officers to locations where elderly people were left behind. The Palisades Highlands situation was desperate,” Rogers recalled. “Residents were trapped because access points were blocked by abandoned vehicles.

“People had been engulfed in flames with no option but to abandon their cars in the middle of the street. I made calls continuously through the night, so many that my tongue was bloody on both sides from the cuts from my teeth,” Rogers added.

Among those testifying was 94-year-old survivor Rachel Schwartz, who spoke about surviving the Holocaust and coming to the United States at just 15 years old, working her whole life to afford her Palisades home. Schwartz voiced concerns about the lack of accountability from officials and insurance providers, noting her own insurer dropped her after the fire.

“I watched everything I own disappear in flames. At my age it’s not easy to begin again,” Schwartz said. “I was with my insurance company for over 25 years, always paying my premiums never missed a payment. Now they tell me they will not cover – they will only cover about half of what I need to rebuild.”

“It’s not right. There are many seniors here in the Palisades who are in the same situation. We’ve all done our part. Lived honest lives. And now we are left with almost nothing,” Schwartz added.

An investigation into the fire, announced in September, is expected to include cooperation from both Newsom’s and Bass’ offices. Johnson suggested that if answers aren’t provided, subpoenas will be issued.

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