LAFD top brass faces questions about slow response to Palisades fire

Los Angeles — Questions are mounting about why hundreds of Los Angeles Fire Department personnel initially failed to get to the scene of the Palisades fire when it first broke out Last week in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

CBS News confirmed, The Palisades Fire Begins At around 10:30 a.m. on January 7, only 19 fire engines were pre-deployed to the area.

But it's unclear how many, if any, people were transported to the neighborhood where the fire first started. Crews did not see any LAFD firefighters in the immediate area during the first four hours CBS News crews were on scene as flames burned through the home.

Asked Wednesday how many personnel were battling the early morning blaze, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley told CBS News, "We'll give you the numbers, as far as Where, I think it’s important that we talk about the pre-deployment situation.”

Crowley First blame budget cuts Because of lack of resources. But as many as 1,000 LAFD firefighters were not initially dispatched, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials confirmed that some people were not asked to work overtime and others were assigned to respond to 911 calls that were not related to the fire.

It would be another eight hours before the Los Angeles Fire Department sent out an emergency message asking all off-duty personnel to call to notify them of their availability. It even asked CBS News Los Angeles to air the same message.

Crowley and Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone both expressed extreme Santa Ana style overwhelmed them. The wildfire has burned more than 60 square miles, killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

fence fire — National Guard soldiers guard a checkpoint at the foot of a hill where a house that appears unaffected by the Palisades Fire stands on a hill surrounded by other buildings destroyed by the fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 15, 2025. The charred remains of a house. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images

Disruptions like this could become the new normal due to climate change.

"The actions we take before the wind damage begins will have the biggest impact because we all realize there are not enough fire trucks, not enough firefighters to fight these fast-moving community fires that are driven by wind. We saw on Tuesday, " Malone told CBS News.

The exchange of fire began "long before the flames arrived," Malone said, adding "we need to take responsibility."

Jonathan Vigliotti

Jonathan Vigliotti is a CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles. He previously served as foreign correspondent for the station's London bureau.