Logo

The Los Angeles Fire Department finally released its internal investigation of the chaotic and short-handed response to the Palisades Fire — but failed to address the causes of the blaze, including new assertions that it was started by a previous fire that its personnel failed to fully extinguish.

On Wednesday, federal investigators claimed the worst wildfire in California history likely came from a previous blaze, the Lachman Fire, which prosecutors allege was set by firebug Jonathan Rinderknecht on Jan. 1.

According to arson investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, that blaze quietly smoldered for six days until reigniting into the Palisades fire.


  The LAPD Fire Department released its internal investigation of the Palisades Fire, but failed to address the cause of the blaze. Anadolu via Getty Images The LAPD Fire Department released its internal investigation of the Palisades Fire, but failed to address the cause of the blaze. Anadolu via Getty Images

LAFD’s 70-page after-action report, released Wednesday, fails to address these new details.

But it does admit to several key mistakes that caused a chaotic, disorganized response that ultimately led to Mayor Karen Bass firing LAFD chief Kristin Crowley.

Bass herself has been heavily criticized for her response to the fire — including traveling to Africa despite extreme fire warnings.

The Palisades Fire started on Jan. 7 and was whipped up by strong winds into the hellacious inferno that reduced more than 6,000 buildings to ash.

The report doesn’t even directly connect the Lachman Fire to the Palisades Fire, other than referencing a call from an on-duty captain who believed the Lachman Fire had started up again.

Instead of citing a specific cause, the report focuses on a “perfect storm” of conditions — including dry vegetation, extremely strong winds, and a depleted water supply — that made the area ripe for a catastrophic burn.


  Mayor Karen Bass knew about the fire risk, but left the city for a trip to Africa as the fire chewed through her city. Getty Images Mayor Karen Bass knew about the fire risk, but left the city for a trip to Africa as the fire chewed through her city. Getty Images

LAFD neglected to keep outgoing firefighters on reserve despite the risk, the report admits.

Yet members of Mayor Karen Bass’s administration also knew about the fire risk, but still allowed the mayor to depart the city for a trip to Ghana — leaving her thousands of miles away as the fire whipped through the Pacific Palisades.

Critics also roasted Bass for slashing the fire department budget by $17 million that fiscal year.

Thus, when flames erupted in the Palisades, overworked and understaffed fire crews — some going 36 hours without rest — battled exhaustion as they worked to contain the flames.


  Shorthanded firefighters battles the hellacious inferno that reduced more than 6,000 buildings to ash. MediaNews Group via Getty Images Shorthanded firefighters battles the hellacious inferno that reduced more than 6,000 buildings to ash. MediaNews Group via Getty Images

“Physical exhaustion caused performance and safety concerns. The combination of fatigue, exhaustion, and sleep deprivation severely hindered their ability to make safe decisions,” the report reads.

There was also a breakdown in communication in the critical first hours of the fire, leaving some teams to act on their own volition with no guidance from the top.

“Accountability for specialized resources … was left to individual company commanders, leading to informal assignments and a lack of accountability,” the report says.

Public evacuation orders were also disorganized and chaotic, causing traffic jams on key fire routes as residents fled their neighborhoods.

“There was a delay in communicating evacuation orders, warnings, and shelter-in-place notifications to the public. As a result, spontaneous evacuations occurred without structured traffic control, causing citizens to block strategic routes to the fire,” according to the report.

Reality star Spencer Pratt lambasted city officials for not taking responsibility for the bungled Lachman Fire containment.

“Our lawyers months ago told the court what caused the Palisades Fire, and today the Department of Justice has proven us right. It was a rekindle of the New Year’s Eve Lachman Fire, and wasn’t properly contained by LA city fire,” the former “The Hills” cast member, who lost his house in the Palisades inferno, said on TikTok.

“The city left it to burn and the state left it to burn for nearly a week on their property and they’re now on the hook for the dangerous conditions that led to the destruction of my town. Told you!”

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy