LAFD chief admits Palisades fire report was watered down, says it won't happen again
Los Angeles Times••nation
Key Points:
- Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore admitted that the department’s after-action report on the deadly Jan. 7, 2025 Palisades fire was edited to soften criticism of top officials, with changes made before his appointment as chief.
- The report’s author, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, refused to endorse the final version due to significant deletions that altered key findings, including downplaying failures in staffing and adherence to safety guidelines.
- The edits included reframing failures as “primary challenges,” removing references to guideline violations, and changing the report’s tone and imagery to appear more positive, sparking concerns over transparency.
- Moore acknowledged that the department and city failed to fully extinguish a New Year’s Day fire that later reignited into the Pal
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