LOS ANGELES – A former Los Angeles fire chief who was dismissed following the blazes in January that left picturesque neighborhoods in cinders filed a claim on Aug. 20 against Mayor Karen Bass, saying Bass made the longtime firefighter a scapegoat for the catastrophe.
The claim from former LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley against Bass and the city says that the mayor used her position to absolve herself of responsibility for the fires by defaming Crowley.
At least 30 people died directly in the fires and researchers estimate 440 people died indirectly due to poor air quality and health care disruptions. A University of California, Los Angeles study says the fires cost as much as $131 billion in lost property and other losses.
Crowley’s face-off with the freshman mayor began when the fires were still raging. The 25-year LAFD veteran slammed Bass on CNN days into the fire for cutting the department’s budget. The mayor said Crowley failed to adequately staff for the fires and also failed to file reports related to the blazes.
Bass eventually fired Crowley on Feb. 21, weeks after the fires were finally put out.
