The Los Angeles Fire Department refuted the speculation that Chief Kristin Crowley had been dismissed on Friday as crews continue to battle the wildfires across the region.
“On Friday, January 10th, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley of the Los Angeles City Fire Department met with Mayor Karen Bass. Their foremost priorities continue to be fighting the current wildfires and safeguarding Angelenos. It is important to note that the Fire Chief was not dismissed and is in full command of the LAFD,” the department said in a statement.
Speculation surrounding the termination came after Mayor Karen Bass and Crowley did not appear at a Friday night press conference regarding the wildfires throughout LA County. The Mayor’s office also said that Crowley remains the chief and has not resigned.
Funding for the city’s fire department decreased by $17.6 million, or 2%, between the 2024-25 fiscal year and the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to city budget documents. However, the city council in November approved a four-year $203 million contract with the firefighter’s union to help boost wages and health benefits for staff, drawing from the budget’s general fund.
The budget cuts drew criticism as firefighters scrambled to contain the ongoing fires.
In a Dec. 4 memo, Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners that cuts “have adversely affected the Department’s ability to maintain core operations.”
“The Palisades Fire, it is absolutely one of the most horrific natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” Crowley said Friday. “Even with an additional 100 engines, I tell you, we would not catch that fire. With that being said, let me be clear, the $17 million budget cut and elimination of our civilian positions like our mechanics did, and has, and will, continue to severely impact our ability to repair apparatus.”
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades killed at least five people and burned more than 21,000 acres within three days, reaching 8% containment Friday as firefighting efforts continue.
An estimated 331,335 people were affected by evacuation advisories because of the fires through LA County: 139,524 were under evacuation warnings and 191,811 were under evacuation orders. For perspective, 331,335 people can fill SoFi Stadium three times over.
Roughly 5,000 structures have been destroyed during the wildfire, making it one of the most destructive in California history. Authorities have warned that the death toll may continue to rise in the coming days as teams sift through the debris.
Crowley, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, was the agency’s first LGBTQ and paramedic fire chief.
“It really feels incredible. I feel so honored,” Crowley said during an interview when she was first chosen as chief, noting how she was “truly humbled to be in this position.”
