As workers continue to fight the flames throughout the region, the Los Angeles Fire Department denied rumors that Chief Kristin Crowley had been fired on Friday.
“Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles City Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley met on Friday, January 10. Fighting the present flames and protecting Angelenos remain their top concerns. It is crucial to remember that the Fire Chief remains fully in charge of the LAFD and was not fired,” the department stated in a statement.
After Crowley and Mayor Karen Bass failed to show up for a press conference on Friday night about the wildfires raging over LA County, there were rumors that she was fired. Additionally, according to the mayor’s office, Crowley has not resigned and is still the chief.
According to city budget data, the city’s fire department’s funding dropped by $17.6 million, or 2%, between the fiscal years 2024–2025 and 2023–2024. However, using funds from the general fund of the budget, the city council in November authorized a four-year, $203 million deal with the firefighter’s union to assist increase personnel pay and health benefits.
While firemen rushed to quell the escalating fires, the budget cuts sparked criticism.
Crowley informed the Board of Fire Commissioners in a memo dated December 4 that budget cuts “had negatively damaged the Department’s capacity to maintain core operations.””
“The Palisades Fire, it is absolutely one of the most horrific natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” Crowley stated on Friday. “I promise you, we wouldn’t be able to put out that fire even with an extra hundred engines. To be clear, our ability to fix equipment has been and will continue to be significantly impacted by the $17 million budget decrease and the removal of civilian jobs like our mechanics.
A brush fire in the Pacific Palisades has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes, killing at least five people and burning over 21,000 acres in three days. As firefighting efforts continue, the fire has reached 8% containment on Friday.
Due to the fires that swept through LA County, an estimated 331,335 persons were impacted by evacuation advisories: 139,524 were under evacuation warnings, and 191,811 were under evacuation orders. For comparison, SoFi Stadium can accommodate 331,335 people three times over.
The wildfire is one of the most catastrophic in California history, having destroyed about 5,000 buildings. As crews search through the wreckage, authorities have cautioned that the death toll could increase over the next few days.
Crowley was the first LGBTQ and paramedic fire chief in the history of the Los Angeles Fire Department, having served for 25 years.
“It feels amazing, actually. In an interview after being selected as CEO, Crowley stated, “I feel so honored,” adding that she was “truly humbled to be in this position.”