In the wake of the devastating Palisades fire, questions are arising about whether the Los Angeles Fire Department could have prevented the tragedy that claimed 12 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. According to a high-ranking source within the LAFD, firefighters had raised concerns with their chief that a prior brush fire, known as the Lachman Fire, had not been fully contained. Despite these warnings, no further action was taken.

Reports reveal that when fire crews departed the scene on January 2, the site was still emitting smoke and dotted with dangerously hot rocks. These conditions, left unchecked, set the stage for the Lachman Fire to flare up again a week later. This subsequent blaze spiraled into what federal investigators have called the most costly wildfire in United States history.

The source indicated that the fire crews were eager to continue mop-up efforts on the Lachman Fire, aiming to prevent any potential resurgence. However, their initiative was halted by a directive from a battalion chief, who ordered the team to cease operations and leave the area.

Fire crews had wanted to continue mop-up operations on the Lachman Fire at the time, the source said.

But a battalion chief commanded them to pack it in, the source said.

The firefighters’ concerns had been recorded in written notes and were well-known within the department, the Times reported.

Yet the dispute was not mentioned in the 70-page after-action report for the Palisades Fire.

The report did mention the Lachman Fire but only briefly, and it never directly identified it as the cause of the Palisades Fire — even after federal agencies officially made the connection and arrested a firebug for starting it.

The Department of Justice has now subpoenaed texts and communications from firefighters who battled the Lachman Fire, according to an LAFD internal memo obtained by ABC 7.

LAFD officials previously publicly insisted the Lachman Fire had been completely extinguished at the time.

“That fire was dead out. … If it is determined that this was the cause, it would be a phenomenon,” Chief Deputy Joe Everett said at a Jan. 16 community meeting.

The department’s after-action report said a “perfect storm” of conditions — including dry vegetation, extremely strong winds, and a depleted water supply — made the area ripe for a catastrophic burn.

The report still also admits to several key mistakes that caused a chaotic, disorganized response that ultimately led to Mayor Karen Bass firing LAFD chief Kristin Crowley.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, intentionally lit the Lachman Fire and then called 911 to report it — but only after typing “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes” into ChatGPT, prosecutors have said.

Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to related charges last month.