LAFD Official Reportedly Knew Crews Were Directed To Leave Lachman Fire Before Palisades Inferno
At least one Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) official knew firefighters were ordered to leave the Lachman Fire site, which burned just days before the Pacific Palisades blaze, according to the Los Angeles Times. An…
At least one Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) official knew firefighters were ordered to leave the Lachman Fire site, which burned just days before the Pacific Palisades blaze, according to the Los Angeles Times.
An anonymous source briefed on the matter in June confirmed to the Times that at least one LAFD official knew a battalion chief directed firefighters to pack up the second day after the Lachman Fire broke out, despite concerns from crews on the ground. The detail was left out of the department’s after-action report and never made public.
The LAFD did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Roughly six days before the Pacific Palisades fire ignited, firefighters were deployed to extinguish the smaller Lachman Fire, which began Jan. 1. Text messages obtained by both former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and the Times showed firefighters had been told to leave the scene on Jan. 2, despite worries the fire could reignite.
When asked about the messages, the LAFD later told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Nov. 4 that the department is “not providing a comment on this topic.”
In a post on social media, Pratt shared a screenshot of a message from an alleged firefighter who said he was at the scene of the Lachman Fire when he was told to pack up on Jan. 2.