Los Angeles mayor calls for “thorough investigation” into Lachman Fire after bombshell report

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling for a “thorough investigation” after a Los Angeles Times report claimed that a battalion chief with the LAFD ignored firefighters’ concerns over the smoldering remains of a blaze that later became the devastating Palisades Fire.

In an open letter to Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva issued Friday, Bass said the Times report was “tremendously alarming, and underscores the reforms and new leadership we have been bringing to the Los Angeles Fire Department since January.”

“Many investigations, and some ongoing, have been looking into the January wildfires. I am requesting that you thoroughly investigate this week’s report regarding the Lachman Fire,” Bass wrote. “A full understanding of the Lachman Fire response is essential to an accurate accounting of what occurred during the January wildfires.”

The report, which reviewed text messages obtained by the Times from firefighters, claims that a battalion chief told crews to leave the area of the Lachman Fire on Jan. 2, the day after it was ruled contained. These orders came despite field crews expressing concerns that the ground was smoldering and rocks and tree stumps were hot to the touch.

Those embers became what is called a “holdover fire,” when historic Santa Ana winds in the Santa Monica mountains rekindled them into the blaze that became the destructive Palisades Fire, investigators say.

29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested on suspicion of “maliciously” starting the Lachman Fire earlier this month.

The long-awaited LAFD after-action report was released the night the arrest was announced. Villanueva said the next day that the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people, “was not a rekindle or due to failed suppression but the reactivation of an undetectable holdover fire under extraordinary wind conditions.”

Former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, who is running for LA Mayor in 2026, said in a statement that Bass’s calls don’t go far enough.

“The Mayor and City Council need to create an independent commission, like the Christopher Commission, comprised of respected members of our City,” Beutner said. “The Commission should look into the actions of the Fire Department, the Department of Water and Power, other relevant departments and City Hall officials. Provide the commission with the budget and authority to ask tough questions, gather the facts and make recommendations.”