Bass replaces Los Angeles fire chief over Palisades Fire mistakes

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday removed Kristin Crowley from her position as fire chief.

Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, will serve as interim fire chief, Bass announced. She was expected to hold a media briefing late Friday morning. 

“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as fire chief,” Bass said in a statement. “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. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the president of the fire commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters — during the Palisades Fire and every single day — is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs.” 

Villanueva retired seven months ago, according to Bass’ office. His last position was chief deputy of emergency operations, and he has decades of experience in fire suppression, emergency management and managing thousands of operational and support members in a variety of positions within the department. Prior to joining the ranks of chief officers, Villanueva spent 24 years in the field at active assignments. 

In January Crowley defended the LAFD’s response to the Palisades Fire.

“We deployed resources in very, very calculated ways throughout the city,” Crowley told reporters. “We’re very system and process-oriented, for the right reasons. We follow a system. We did that. We pre-deployed the necessary resources … not knowing where a fire might break out in the city.”

Bass said her office will conduct a national search, and the mayor “will speak directly with firefighters and Angelenos about what they want to see in their next permanent Chief.”

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