Republican senators launch investigation into Palisades Fire
Two Republican senators have launched a congressional investigation into the Los Angeles Palisades Fire, looking at what they are calling the "failures surrounding the preparation for and response to this disaster."
The Jan. 7 wildfire destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed 12 people. Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida say the investigation is to "uncover and expose" the truth as "families in the community deserve answers and accountability."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom welcomed the investigation.
"It complements the thorough investigations already taking place — including by the federal government, the state, and an independent review by the nation's leading fire experts," Newsom said in a statement. "From day one, we've embraced transparency because Californians deserve nothing less."
Meanwhile, the city of Los Angeles is compiling its after-action report on the Palisades Fire, which Mayor Karen Bass said last month was delayed because of the ongoing federal investigation into the wildfire's cause.
California state law requires an after-action report to examine the city's response to the fire. Mayor Bass said that the U.S. Attorney's Office asked for its release to be postponed as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives continues its probe into what sparked the fire on Jan. 7.
One month after the Palisades Fire, Mayor Bass removed Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley from her post for her handling of department crew deployments during the fire, and for what Bass said was her refusal to submit an after-action report.
"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," Bass said in February.
About a month before the Palisades Fire broke out, Crowley sent a memo to the Board of Fire Commissioners that budget cuts "have adversely affected the Department's ability to maintain core operations." Budget cuts and the department's ability to fight the fires were points of contention while the fires were burning.
"We did exactly what we could with what we had," Crowley said in a Jan. 10 interview with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell. "Something that is significant as this particular fire, I would say we threw exactly what we could with what we had."
Mayor Bass, on the other hand, disputed the fire department budgets cuts.
"I have done two budgets in my time here, in both budgets, the budgets were increased and I anticipate the budget will be increased this time as well," she said.
The news release announcing the congressional investigation said that "over the years, billions upon billions of federal taxpayer dollars have been directed to California to support fire management and disaster mitigation efforts. Yet, on the day of the Palisades Fire, reservoirs were empty, fire hydrants went dry."
Newsom said that California deployed more than 16,000 first responders and over 2,000 firefighting assets to the fires.
"The facts are undeniable: California mounted one of the most aggressive wildfire responses in American history — deploying 16,000+ first responders and over 2,000 firefighting assets faster and at greater scale than ever before," he said.