LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A new report commissioned by Gov. Gavin Newsom concludes that no single decision or mistake caused the devastation that Los Angeles County experienced during the January 2025 wildfires, but rather a series of failures across multiple agencies and systems.
The more-than-700-page report, compiled by UL Research Institutes, found that weather conditions played a major role in fueling the fires but were not the sole factor behind the destruction. According to the report, a broader breakdown in planning, communication, staffing and emergency response contributed to the disaster.
Strong winds accelerated the spread of the fires, with conditions appearing dangerous from the outset. However, the report examined several additional factors, including evacuation decisions, emergency alert systems, communications between responders and staffing levels.
In Altadena, the report highlighted significant differences in evacuation timing. Eighteen people died west of Lake Avenue, where evacuation orders were not issued until 3:25 a.m. Only one person died east of Lake Avenue, where evacuation orders had been issued hours earlier at 7:26 p.m.
The report also found shortcomings in the county’s emergency notification process, noting that “a limited number of personnel were trained on the Genasys software platform.” Genasys is the county’s evacuation software.
The findings echo previous reporting by ABC7’s 7 On Your Side. The station previously reported on the death of Ed Cridland, who died inside his West Altadena home during the Eaton Fire. His friend, Dennis Chapman, questioned emergency preparedness amid extreme weather conditions.
“If the winds were so high they couldn’t get stuff in the air, that should have made them more alert about what’s going on, on the ground,” Chapman said.
According to the report, command staff were not fully aware of conditions in the field because of inadequate communication with frontline responders. Report author Derek Alkonis said communication failures hindered accountability during the response.
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“When you don’t know where your people are or you can’t communicate with them – you don’t have accountability,” Alkonis said.
The report also examined the Lachman Fire burn scar, which later became the Palisades Fire. Investigators found that a hose left at the site for potential flareups was removed Jan. 2 despite concerns raised by a captain.
According to the report, the captain said “it was not a good idea to remove the hose” because he observed “a small wisp of smoke.” A memo obtained by ABC7 showed the hose was nevertheless picked up on Jan. 2.
The report further concluded that the Los Angeles Fire Department did not have a plan to monitor the burn scar as fire conditions deteriorated on Jan. 7 and that it “largely maintained its normal task force staffing…despite forecasted extreme weather.”
In previous reporting, ABC7 asked LAFD Deputy Chief Richard Fields about staffing decisions made before the fires.
“We are considering the financial impact of staffing for overtime in every decision we make. So it is a constant consideration,” Fields said.
When asked, “Looking back at it now, was it too much of a consideration on the 6th and the morning of the 7th?” Fields responded, “No.”
The report also found problems with actions taken after the Palisades Fire began. While the LAFD called in off-duty firefighters following the outbreak, the report described the effort as poorly executed and disorganized.
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Ultimately, the report concluded that Los Angeles was failed not by any single decision, but by a system that broke down at multiple levels as extreme fire conditions unfolded on Jan. 7, 2025.
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