Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass fired Kristin Crowley, Fire Department Fire Chief, due to tensions over the handling of the deadly fires last month. Bass cited Crowley’s failure to do an after-action report on the fires and her refusal to do so by the president of the Fire Commission.
“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 stated.
“1,000 firefighters were sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch the day the fires broke out. Chief Crowley refused to do an after action report on the fires,” she continued in her statement.
During the LA area wildfire earlier last month, Crowley was asked if the city had failed the LAFD, and she responded that the fire department is underfunded.
L-R: Photographed image of Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass; Photo Credit: City of LA, and Photographed image of former LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley; Photo Credit: Irfan Khan/The Los Angeles Times
Bass has been questioned about $17.8 million in budget reductions for the LAFD and denied that they had any impact on firefighting efforts during the wildfires.
The catastrophic fires killed at least 29 people and affected the LA area, mainly Pacific Palisades and Eaton, particularly Altadena. Bass appointed former LAFD Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva (41 years-old) as interim chief.