Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone apologized Thursday evening to residents who had lost their homes in the Palisades Fire.
Marrone apologized at a town hall meeting at the Sinai Temple in Westwood, where displaced residents of the Pacific Palisades and Malibu had been invited to an informational meeting by fire officials. He said that he was sorry “because we weren’t able” to protect lives, homes, and businesses in the county.
The county chief added that he had “never been more proud” of the work by personnel to contain the fire.
The evening also included an appearance by controversial City of Los Angeles Fire Department Chief
Kristin Crowley, whom many have faulted for a late response to the fire.
Elsewhere, at the Los Angeles City Council, angry residents slammed Mayor Karen Bass, Chief Crowley, and members of the council for voting to reduce the fire department’s budget.
First LA City council meeting after the #PalisadeFire
— Cece Woods (@ceceswoods) January 16, 2025
EXPLOSIVE! 🧨 pic.twitter.com/hiRt32o4Yg
An official told the town hall meeting that Los Angeles is again expecting dangerous Santa Ana winds early next week, which could complicate the task of fighting the fire
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
