Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday afternoon that she had met with and immediately removed LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley from her position.
The announcement corroborates DailyMail.com’s exclusive reporting last month, that Crowley had been told she was getting fired, which was denied by the Mayor’s office at the time.
‘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 in a statement.
‘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 said she plans to discuss the decision further in a morning press conference.
Bass also announced the appointment of former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as interim fire chief.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Bass claimed Crowley failed to warn her about the risk of major fires before the Palisades Fire and other blazes ignited.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday afternoon that she had met with and immediately removed LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley from her position.
‘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 (pictured) as Fire Chief,’ Bass said in a statement
In response, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated it had followed standard preparation procedures ahead of the January wildfires, coordinating with city departments and elected officials.
The Times report noted that while Crowley typically notified the mayor of critical fire conditions, she did not do so in this case until Jan. 7—after the Palisades Fire had already begun.
The National Weather Service had issued multiple warnings about a wind event on Jan. 3.
Bass departed for a business trip to Ghana the following day.
She explained that the Biden administration asked her to go to the African country to represent the then-president.
Bizarrely, the Democrat lawmaker also revealed that she is now opening an investigation into why no one stopped her.
Across Los Angeles, over 18,000 structures were destroyed in the fires that occurred this past January as tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes, with at least 29 people known to have lost their lives in the crisis.
