Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass eliminated Fireplace Chief Kristin Crowley, citing failures within the division’s response to the devastating Palisades wildfire.
Bass appointed former LAFD Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as interim chief whereas town launches a seek for Crowley’s everlasting alternative, in line with an emailed assertion from her workplace on Friday.
Associated: Zurich Insurance Sees $200 Million LA Wildfire Loss
Bass mentioned Crowley’s dismissal stemmed from key lapses, together with sending dwelling 1,000 firefighters on the morning the Palisades hearth broke out and refusing to conduct an “after motion report.”
“The heroism of our firefighters – in the course of the Palisades hearth and each single day – is with out query. Bringing new management to the Fireplace Division is what our metropolis wants,” Bass mentioned.
Associated: California Insurance Commissioner Rejects State Farm’s 22% Rate Request
The Palisades blaze exploded on Jan. 7, pushed by hurricane-force gusts, ripping by an space virtually twice the dimensions of Manhattan, claiming a minimum of 12 lives and destroying 6,800 buildings. A second main blaze, the Eaton Fireplace, which left 17 useless, was in an unincorporated space of Los Angeles County, outdoors town and Bass’s purview.
Economists on the College of California at Los Angeles estimate that complete property and capital losses from the fires might be as a lot as $164 billion.
When contacted for remark from Crowley, LAFD spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz mentioned the division didn’t have a right away assertion.
Copyright 2025 Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Subjects
Louisiana
Was this text invaluable?
Listed here are extra articles chances are you’ll take pleasure in.
A very powerful insurance coverage information,in your inbox each enterprise day.
Get the insurance coverage trade’s trusted e-newsletter
