LOS ANGELES – A former Los Angeles fire chief who was dismissed following the blazes in January that left picturesque neighborhoods in cinders filed a claim on Aug. 20 against Mayor Karen Bass, saying Bass made the longtime firefighter a scapegoat for the catastrophe.
The claim from former LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley against Bass and the city says that the mayor used her position to absolve herself of responsibility for the fires by defaming Crowley.
At least 30 people died directly in the fires and researchers estimate 440 people died indirectly due to poor air quality and health care disruptions. A University of California, Los Angeles study says the fires cost as much as $131 billion in lost property and other losses.
Crowley’s face-off with the freshman mayor began when the fires were still raging. The 25-year LAFD veteran slammed Bass on CNN days into the fire for cutting the department’s budget. The mayor said Crowley failed to adequately staff for the fires and also failed to file reports related to the blazes.
Bass eventually fired Crowley on Feb. 21, weeks after the fires were finally put out.
“Integrity, truthfulness, and serving others before self have guided me throughout my career. As the Fire Chief, for nearly three years, I advocated for the proper funding, staffing and infrastructure upgrades to better support and protect our Firefighters, and by extension, our communities,” Crowley said in a statement announcing the legal action.
“The lies, deceit, exaggerations and misrepresentations need to be addressed with the only thing that can refute them – the true facts,” Crowley added. “As Firefighters, we run towards uncertainty and are willing to risk it all. Doing the right thing even when it is hard, is always the right decision and that is why I am continuing to fight for the resources our Firefighters need to keep us all safe.”
