LA mayor sacks fire chief, blames her for mishandling wildfires

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has sacked the city’s fire chief, blaming her for mishandling the response to last month’s devastating wildfires.

Bass said Kristin Crowley had failed to warn her about an imminent fire risk.

“We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” the mayor also said in a statement.

Bass has appointed Ronnie Villanueva, an LAFD veteran, as interim fire chief. The wildfires claimed 26 lives, destroyed thousands of homes, and displaced over 150,000 residents.

Kristin Crowley made history as the department’s first female fire chief when she was appointed in 2022.

During her tenure, she prioritized firefighter recruitment, diversity initiatives, and modernizing outdated department policies. However, her leadership faced controversy, particularly regarding staffing shortages during the recent fires.

A letter from current and retired LAFD chief officers accused her of mismanaging the wildfire response, highlighting issues such as inadequate evacuation plans and insufficient firefighting resources.

They called for her resignation, saying that “a large number of Chief Officers do not believe you are up to the task.”

Crowley also faced backlash for her focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the department. Her critics argued that this emphasis diverted attention from essential firefighting operations, potentially compromising the department’s effectiveness during crises