The Los Angeles wildfires have placed immense pressure on firefighting resources, with firefighters on the front lines and department leaders highlighting the challenges faced.
From the front lines
- CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Brent Pascua: “It was something like I had never seen. It was just a blowtorch igniting the thing next to it. What wasn’t on fire was soon to be on fire.”
- Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Graham Groneman: “The devastation is the thing that’s shocking everybody. The amount of homes burned, the way the fire came down and impacted these communities – heartbreaking.”
- Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy: “We’re fixers. That is the mindset: We’re gonna put our lives on the line. We’re gonna, give a lot to save a lot. So when you have a fire like you say that’s unstoppable? Man, that is— it’s— it’s uncomfortable. It’s very uncomfortable.” [See more from the chief’s “60 Minutes” interview]
- Los Angeles Firefighter David Walters: “I’m very sorry for the residents that live here. We did try our best, but we got our butts kicked.”
Los Angeles city and county leaders
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley has been actively addressing the challenges posed by the recent wildfires.
- On the severity of the situation: “We are absolutely not out of danger yet.”
- On personnel working the fires: “Together, these fires are stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits.”
- Regarding resource limitations: “There are not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude.”
- On the impact of budget cuts: “The budget cuts have severely limited our capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies.”
- Addressing equipment shortages: “We are screaming to be properly funded so we can protect our communities effectively.”
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone has made several comments on the fires:
- On fire conditions: “Conditions that night were unbearable. It was a devil wind that came out.”
- On resource limitations: “There are not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude. We’re doing the very best we can, but no we don’t have enough fire personnel.”
- On anticipated Santa Ana winds: “We are prepared for the upcoming wind event.”
- On evacuees returning: “Please rest assured that first thing Thursday we will begin talking about repopulation.”
FireRescue1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
