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<\/p>\nEarly in Michael McIndoe\u2019s shift on Jan. 2, 2025, his crew got their marching orders: Pick up hoses left overnight at the scene of the Lachman fire.<\/p>\n
McIndoe, a captain at Fire Station 69 in Pacific Palisades, didn\u2019t think the plan was a good idea, he said in sworn testimony obtained by The Times. He had read the National Weather Service\u2019s forecast for the day \u2014 temperatures were expected to be warmer \u2014 and handling any lingering hot spots would be easier with hoses in place.<\/p>\n
While he was still at the station, he said, he relayed his concerns by phone to Battalion Chief Mario Garcia, who was in charge of the operation.<\/p>\n
Garcia \u201csaid something along the lines of, \u2018OK. Let me go check it out, and then I\u2019ll get back to you,\u2019 \u201d McIndoe testified. <\/p>\n
Despite the warning, Garcia\u2019s orders never changed, and McIndoe spent a couple hours or so that morning rolling up hose lines. <\/p>\n
At one point, McIndoe said, he came across a smoldering ash pit. He retrieved a backpack with water from his engine, sprayed into the ground with a couple gallons of water and dug up the dirt with his hand tool until he was satisfied it was cool. <\/p>\n
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Days later, amid high winds, embers from the Lachman fire ignited into the Palisades fire<\/a>, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.<\/p>\n McIndoe was one of a dozen Los Angeles firefighters deposed in January in a lawsuit filed by Palisades fire victims against the city and the state. Transcripts and videos of the testimony were released Thursday and Friday, backing up earlier reporting by The Times<\/a> that crews were ordered to pack up their hoses despite signs that the Lachman fire was not completely out. <\/p>\n One firefighter, Scott Pike, testified<\/a> that he informed a captain of hot spots and ash pits in the area but that he never received orders to take care of the hazards. <\/p>\n Garcia testified that no one informed him of any concerns about picking up the hoses and that he believed the decision was made before his shift. <\/p>\n The testimony raises questions about why LAFD officials did not address concerns expressed to them about weather conditions and potentially dangerous hot spots that could flare up into another fire. With Pike and McIndoe saying they were following directions from above, and Garcia and the battalion chief from the prior shift appearing to pass the buck to others, it is unclear who made the decision to leave the Lachman fire.<\/p>\n LAFD spokesperson Stephanie Bishop declined to answer the question of who decided to pull the hoses, citing an ongoing investigation. She also would not answer whether officials had identified the captain whom Pike spoke with or determined what the captain did with his concerns. <\/p>\n Pike said he did not know the captain\u2019s name but believed the captain was from Engine 69.<\/p>\n McIndoe testified that he was the captain on Engine 69 that day. In an email Saturday, McIndoe said he was not authorized to speak with the media but wanted to correct the record: \u201cI did not speak to, nor do I recall seeing, Firefighter Pike the day that we picked up hose at the Lachman fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pike did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n That day, McIndoe testified, he saw Garcia on the hill picking up hoses and brought up their earlier conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cI just went up to him, and I said, \u2018Hey, I hope you don\u2019t think I\u2019m just trying to get out of work,\u2019 \u201d McIndoe said. \u201cAnd he said, no, that\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s fine. Something along those lines, and that that\u2019s all I can really recall.\u201d <\/p>\n He said he was trying to clarify with Garcia that he believed \u201cthat the hose should stay up a little bit longer.\u201d <\/p>\n Garcia testified that when he got to the burn scar, no one raised any concerns about the hose pickup, nor did he see any need to leave the equipment at the site. <\/p>\n He said he thought the decision to pick up the hoses was made before his shift \u2014 though he was \u201cnot 100 percent sure\u201d \u2014 and that it was a \u201ccollaborative decision, based off all the information that was received.\u201d <\/p>\n By the time he got up to the burn area, Garcia testified, half the hose had already been picked up. He walked the perimeter to ensure there was a line cut around it and that it was cold, and did not see any smoke or any sign that the fire was not fully extinguished. <\/p>\n \u201cCame across several members,\u201d he said. \u201cNobody mentioned anything about there being any concerns of any sort.\u201d <\/p>\n Battalion Chief Martin Mullen, who was on duty before Garcia, testified that he walked the perimeter four times and left the hose lines in place overnight as a precaution, keeping two assistant chiefs, Vinny Alvarado and Joseph Everett, in the loop. Mullen said they informed another top chief, Phillip Fligiel. <\/p>\n The hoses could be hooked up again quickly \u201cif something were to happen,\u201d Mullen testified.<\/p>\n Mullen testified that he also notified Garcia: \u201cI told him I left him hose lines in place overnight, you need to walk that and make sure there\u2019s nothing going on up there.\u201d <\/p>\n Mullen, who said he was not involved in deciding when to pick up the hoses, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n In an email Sunday, Everett said: \u201cI was not present or assigned to that incident. As a result I made no command decisions nor do I have information as to anyones testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772430968_481_.jpeg\")
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