Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass fired Kristin Crowley, the city’s fire chief, on Friday over her handling of last month’s wildfires. She praised Crowley’s leadership on the matter in January.
The firing is effective immediately, according to a press release, and among the reasons cited for Crowley’s removal was the sending home of 1,000 firefighters on the morning the fires broke out, as well as her alleged refusal to conduct an after-action report.
Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year Los Angeles Fire Department veteran, will assume the position of interim fire chief.
“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief,” Bass said. “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. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after-action report on the fires. The Chief refused.”
“These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters — during the Palisades fire and every single day — is without question. Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs,” she added.
The mayor expanded on the firing at a press conference, where she fielded questions about allegations of her own improper handling of the fires.
Bass said she met with Crowley in person to let her go.
“It was very brief,” she said when asked about the meeting.
Bass pledged to undertake a nationwide search for the next fire chief, taking the perspective of firefighters and Angelenos into account.
When asked about her previous remarks praising Crowley’s leadership during the fires, she said she “didn’t have all the facts.”
The mayor said that an investigation into the faulty water infrastructure that contributed to the spread of the fires will be undertaken by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). She also denied that the LAFD budget had been cut.
Villanueva gave a brief comment, saying he only wanted to look toward the future.
“I just plan on moving forward. I want to move the department forward and take care of our firefighters,” he said. “So I don’t want to look backward; I don’t want to look to the past like the mayor stated.”
Last month’s fires were the costliest in U.S. history. The fires ravaged wealthy suburban areas, resulting in unprecedented damage. A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather in mid-January found that the damage valued between $135 billion and $150 billion.
Beginning on Jan. 7 amid dry conditions and unusually high winds, the fires ravaged the Californian coast for weeks, requiring a response from an international coalition of 51,818 emergency personnel, according to Cal Fire. The flames burned 57,636 acres, destroyed 16,255 structures, and killed at least 29 people.
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The Eaton Fire was the deadliest, killing 17 people, destroying 9,418 structures, and scorching 14,021 acres — independently the second most destructive wildfire in California history. The Palisades Fire was a close third, killing 12 people, destroying 6,837 structures, and burning 23,448 acres.
The fires were fully contained at the beginning of February.