During Tuesday’s fire commission meeting, Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore said the report on the Palisades Fire was watered down so that it wasn’t as critical of the fire department.
“It is now clear that multiple drafts were edited to soften language and reduce explicit criticism of department leadership in that final report,” Moore said. “This editing occurred prior to my appointment as fire chief, and I can assure you that nothing of this sort will ever again happen while I am fire chief.”
Also during the meeting, Moore acknowledged and touched on the mistakes the department made in dealing with the Lachmann Fire and Palisades Fire, including revealing that the department truly believed the Lachman Fire was extinguished.
Moore shared some of the steps the department has taken to prevent this from ever happening again.
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“We've already changed our mop-up procedures, and we've formally incorporated the use of drone technology to enhance post-suppression verification, situational awareness, and detection of residual heat,” he said.
He added that he believes the people of L.A. deserve honesty and accountability, and that he also asked for further investigation into the Lachman fire.