Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

23 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

1 day ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

1 day ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

1 day ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

1 day ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

1 day ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

1 day ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

1 day ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

2 days ago
Report: Requests from Politicians Hampered Wildfire Fight
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
April 27, 2019

Share

LOS ANGELES — The battle against a devastating November wildfire in Los Angeles County was hampered by politicians asking firefighters to check on certain homes.
The conclusion comes from an after-action review by the Los Angeles Fire Department, which joined Los Angeles and Ventura county departments in battling the November blaze, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
“A significant number of requests by political figures to check on specific addresses of homes to ensure their protection distracted from Department leadership to accomplish priority objectives,” the review said.
It didn’t provide specifics, the paper said.

“A significant number of requests by political figures to check on specific addresses of homes to ensure their protection distracted from Department leadership to accomplish priority objectives.” — Fire Department Report
Assistant Chief Tim Ernst told the Times that he didn’t know which politicians were involved or exactly how those requests affected the firefighting efforts. He provided details from the report during a brushfire training for the department’s chief officers last week.

Requests Not Uncommon During Large Fires

The Woolsey Fire destroyed more than 1,600 homes and other buildings from north of Los Angeles to Malibu before it was controlled. Four people died.
It was one of the largest wildfires in modern California history.
Ernst said that requests to check on specific addresses were not uncommon during large fires.
“Living in the city of L.A. or the county of L.A., we have to understand we probably have some of the wealthiest communities in America, and with that comes a certain amount of political power,” Ernst told the Times.
“We don’t see probably the same type of requests if we’re in a poor community in Northern California, as opposed to in Southern California, where I think there’s a higher expectation with people being able to call someone in city government and ask questions about their properties, and I think that was the gist of this particular challenge,” he added.
During the training session, Ernst said such requests should be sent through proper channels to ensure they don’t become a distraction while fighting fires.
The report says field observers should be deployed to “provide real time information and reconnaissance to address specific requests from political figures during a large-scale incident.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

DON'T MISS

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

DON'T MISS

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

DON'T MISS

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

DON'T MISS

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

DON'T MISS

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

UP NEXT

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

UP NEXT

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

UP NEXT

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

UP NEXT

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

UP NEXT

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

UP NEXT

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

UP NEXT

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

UP NEXT

Netanyahu, Trump Appear to Abandon Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations With Hamas

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

1 hour ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

1 hour ago

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

2 hours ago

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

2 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

2 hours ago

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

2 hours ago

Netanyahu, Trump Appear to Abandon Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations With Hamas

3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Julian Jay Haymon

3 hours ago

Trump Says There Is a 50-50 Chance of Trade Deal With EU

3 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

In a sharply critical opinion piece, Israeli columnist Gideon Levy draws parallels between the Holocaust and Israel’s reported plans to forc...

21 minutes ago

Palestinians inspect the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike on Sunday, in Gaza City, June 30, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
21 minutes ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

An aerial view shows "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. July 24, 2025. (Reuters File)
32 minutes ago

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

President Donald Trump speaks after disembarking Marine One, as he departs for Scotland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 25, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
1 hour ago

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

Family members and advocates gather inside the Lutheran Church of the Reformation near the U.S. Supreme Court after justices supported a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, during a rally in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

A Tesla robotaxi drives on the street along South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, U.S., June 22, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

Paramount Global logo is seen in this illustration taken December 17, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
2 hours ago

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend